Invasion
by Revalacy
Summary: The future is a bleak place, and the end is drawing closer for Danny Phantom and his allies as they try to fight off an invasion from beyond the earth and beyond the grave. DP IZ crossover, FINISHED!
1. Vertigo

**_Invasion_**

* * *

_Author's notes: After having watched a long series of cartoons, I think I've finally found an idea worth writing down. I won't reveal too much, so here it is, the story "Invasion."_

**DISCLAIMER: DANNY PHANTOM IS PROPERTY OF BUTCH HARTMAN AND NICKELODEON. INVADER ZIM IS PROPERTY OF JONEN VASQUEZ. **

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Vertigo**

* * *

_If you were to ask Daniel Fenton if he was going to have a normal day, he would likely say, "Probably not." Because normal just wasn't normal for Danny. No two days were ever the same. But that day, the day he got the mysterious phone call, would be the beginning of the worst years of his entire life. It all started with three teenagers looking for entertainment..._

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Danny stopped in his tracks, and glanced over his shoulder. Aside from his two best friends, who else would be knocking on his door in the middle of summer? "You guys go ahead, I'll get the door," he said to his friends, who glanced at each other and shrugged with identical looks of confusion. Their looks were the product of his recent strange behavior. He never usually acted this quiet or reserved, and lately he'd been a great deal of both. But it was none of their concern unless he chose to share it, so neither of them said anything about it. Of course, they might have if they'd have known they'd never get the chance.

"AUGH!" he screamed. A loud ZAP! followed.

"Danny?" the asked in unison. It might not have been the best idea, in hindsight, to go looking for him. They might have gotten away if they hadn't.

"Hello, children," a man's voice said. He was tall and dark. Where eyes should have been, a band of metal was instead, and he was garbed in black that didn't seem to be fabric. He turned his head slightly to address the men behind him. "Get them."

"Yes, sir!" said the nearest to him, a strange looking creature with ashy skin and a Mohawk. All of his companions were of a strange variety, and none of them, save the man wearing black, looked even remotely human. This proved to be truer than they would ever want as the men started to _morph_, their limbs twisting into sharp metal tentacles as they shot after the pair. Both of them screamed as they turned on their heels and ran like they never knew they could.

"Danny? Jazz? What's going on up here?" said another voice, a man's that was recognizable, but neither of them were in a fit state to answer. Thick metal had wrapped itself around them both like cold steel ropes and held them fast, pressing them to the ground, keeping them rooted where they now sat, crumpled under the weight of the metal. The man in the orange jumpsuit entered the room. "Hey! Who the heck are you?" he demanded upon seeing the man in black with his boot pressed to his son's chest.

He never got an answer to his question, because he was wrestled to the ground but a moment later. His wife was brought in behind him in moments, her arms and legs bound by metal ropes, her weapons inaccessible.

The man in black hoisted the boy up from the ground by the front of his shirt.

"No! Please leave him alone!" the woman screamed as her son was held in a choke-hold and dragged towards an sinister-colored hole that had appeared in the middle of their living room. Of all the unnatural things that occurred in their home, that had been by far the strangest. The boy gritted his teeth. There was really nothing he could do about it. The man holding him was wearing dampening gloves (gloves that suppress the natural abilities of ghosts, similar to how a Plasmius Maximus might work) and he couldn't seem to fight off the effects, so there was no hope of the change. His father had been wrestled to the ground, a feat requiring at least four men, and he heard his sister upstairs screaming in protest of her restraint. He could hear behind him his friends as they struggled with their assailants, but fighting no less than the giant man held fast to the ground.

"I gave you the terms, I gave you time to come up with the money and the weapon, but you chose to defy my wishes! Now you'll pay!" the man screamed. His eyes would have been bulging if he had any. The spit, however, was flying from his mouth, and a vein had popped in his forehead.

"But we don't have that kind of money!" she shouted. "And you gave us three hours!"

"Then say goodbye to your boy!" he spat and yanked him towards the hole.

"NO!" his father rumbled from the floor and in his anger bucked the men off of him that had been holding him down. They tumbled back, throwing the man off of the woman and she twisted to her feet and tackled him.

The confusion allowed the boy to yank free and bolt out of the room. Without thinking, he sprinted through the kitchen and yanked open the basement door. It was all he could do to keep from falling down the stairs as he sprinted at top speed down the dark stairs into the lab, the man in black close behind him. As he passed, he snatched something off the table and stuffed it into the pocket of his jeans.

The portal loomed ahead, closed. He smashed the button on the console in trying to open it. Reluctantly, and with much complaint from the gears and springs, it did. He tapped a few keys on what was left of the console. _Locked_, it beeped.

The shot rang through the house, followed by a scream. The boy held his arm as the gaping wound dripped with blood.

"You're not going anywhere, brat. You're going to die for your parents' mistake. Now... any last words?"

He glared at him and slid back into the swirling green of the portal. "Go to hell!" he called as the mists claimed him and the portal door slammed shut.

"NO!" the man screamed and lunged forward, then slammed a fist into the portal door as he crashed into it. "I will not relent, child, until everyone you know is destroyed!" he snarled to the closed door. "I will have my revenge! And no matter where you hide, no matter how long I have to wait, I WILL HAVE THAT WEAPON!"

* * *

"Now class, I want you all to take a good look at this horrible place. This is what you all have to look forward to. Doom... doom... doom..." said their frightening teacher. The children were wandering the fifty-year-old ruins of a city they had once called Amity Park. No one really knew what had happened, there were so few survivors from the incident. But from what the pictures said, it had once been a great city, fraught with strange things that boggled the mind. Everyone had said that Amity Park was a great place to live, even if its citizens were a little crazy. Now it was a wasteland, a terrible place of fear and death and destruction, a harbinger of bad memories and whispers of tragedy long ago.

Dib, however, saw it as a perfect research opportunity. There had been rumors about this city, rumors of ghosts and monsters and other rather "insane" things. But that was because most of humanity chose to ignore and excuse away things that weren't "normal." And that meant there was something here that was begging to be explored.

It was with this wonder-filled urge for exploration that he found himself wandering alone through empty city streets that, despite the lack of bodies, felt crowded with something… life maybe? Dib didn't know, but he did know it was not only fascinating, but extremely exciting. Back home, the only paranormal things he got to deal with anymore ever since Mysterious Mysteries had cracked open a "Expose" case on the paranormal of the city was Zim and his horrible robot dog.

Dib paused. He hadn't realized he'd been thinking so vigorously, but he hadn't even noticed that he'd wandered away from the group. Well, every but Gaz, who was walking along, eyes glued to the screen of the little red hand-held game in her tiny hands.

"It's amazing, isn't Gaz?" he asked, his voice thick with awe.

"Meh," was her uninterested response.

"How can you say that?" Dib asked her, quirking an eyebrow, his tone offended.

She growled. "Dib, you're bugging me."

Dib had stopped paying attention. Before him was a huge brick-and-steel building, covered in what could have been colorful flashing signs at one point. A huge, ominous metal contraption was perched precariously atop the structure, looking like it could fall over at any moment. Dib didn't seem to take notice.

"WOW!" he shouted excitedly.

"You're stupid," Gaz muttered, fixing her eyes on the game slave and trudging away.

Dib couldn't believe where he was, couldn't believe the scientific discoveries that awaited in the old metal building with the worn sign on the front that was no longer intelligible. With a wide smile, he slipped inside the door and peered around the house. It was still fairly intact, so he was able to make out the various rooms and furniture and decorations. He made his way to the second floor first.

There were four rooms, each of them strikingly different from the next. The first he visited was very clearly a guest room. It was relatively unadorned from the blank white walls to the simple, flat blue blankets and pillows. A single lamp on the lone end table was caked in dust. He turned and closed the door behind him gently, careful not to disturb whatever ghosts haunted this strange house.

The next room had clearly belonged to a girl. The walls were painted in a fierce shade of pink, the bed slathered in the remains of stuffed animals that had grown thin and decrepit with time and neglect. Posters of boy-bands plastered the walls. A desk in the corner was home to an ancient laptop. Dib had never seen an antique from the turn of the century, and the thought that he had found one _in-tact_ was enough to make him short of breath. "No way!"

It no longer worked, as the power had gone out a very long time ago. But he tapped the keys anyways, watching them bounce back up. He smiled, then silently slipped back out the door again.

The third room was certainly interesting. It was obviously the master bedroom, with a larger-than-life bed, a great bathroom, and gadgets and doo-dads strewn all over the floor, caked in something long since dried up. It wasn't quite as interesting as the last room.

So he closed the door again and made his way to the last room. Already he could tell it was different, because the door was missing. It had been ripped clean off its hinges and lay in a pile of splinters on the ground, along with everything else that had been in the room at one time. The shattered remains of a desk, a computer, model rockets, ancient clothing, and a few gadgets that Dib didn't recognized had been thrown unceremoniously on the floor. The windows were smashed, the bed torn to ribbons. Something, obviously, hadn't wanted whoever had inhabited this room back… or they had been very, very angry. But Dib couldn't see any blood, so if they'd been murdered, it hadn't been here.

Dib went to explore the rest of the house. It was the same as any other house. Couches, kitchen utensils, the fridge, it was all normal.

And then there was the basement.

It was different. In fact, it was completely abnormal. It was a laboratory filled to the brink with a wide assortment of strange looking instruments and devices that were covered in (what had once been but had now dried) green goo. And even more strange and intriguing was the enormous metal door in the wall with the blinking green console. Human curiosity grabbed hold of him and he pushed the big red button on the console.

Behind him, peering around the corner, was a green-skinned boy with black hair and no ears. As an alien, and without his disguise, he looked like every little boy's picture of the space alien who visits the earth to conquer the planet. Bug antennas, huge red eyes, and if called upon, eight legs. Zim had been following his arch nemesis in the hopes of stealing whatever technology he might discover. It wasn't for the same reasons as before, but the activity had become a habit. He was so used to his plans failing, now it was just routine. But as soon as the metal doors slid open, those thoughts vanished.

"WHAT THE-?" Zim shouted as the great doors revealed not a room, but a portal, filled with swirling green mists and eerie sounds. Dib whirled around.

"Zim!" he shouted. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm observing you, filthy human! I was hoping to gain more intelligence about this wretched planet by finding out who else might destroy it and eliminate other possible threats." Zim had monologue again. He'd have to fix that.

Dib stared at him. "What?" he asked, his eyes wide. "That made absolutely no sense!"

"Not to a filthy earth monkey like yourself!"

The two continued to argue for several minutes. All the while, behind them, a ghostly figure slid from the green mists and fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

His eyes flashed green as he got to his feet, his entire body trembling. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?" he snapped. The two boys stopped and stared before shouting in sudden surprise and fear.

Zim shot up into the air on four metal legs as he stared down his opponent. "What kind of monster are you?"

The ghost child stared at them for a moment before raising his eyebrows. "Monster?" he said, slightly taken aback. And then his face split into a wide grin and he laughed for a few minutes. He hadn't realized how long it had been since he'd been here. Perhaps he'd reacted a little harshly, but right now it didn't seem to matter.

"Yes, yes, I'm hilarious but you did not answer my question!" Zim shouted.

He looked up, a grin still plastered on his face. A pair of rings appeared at his waist and split, changing the black jumpsuit to jeans and a tattered white and red t-shirt, and his eyes and hair inverted from white and green to black and blue. An ugly scar jutted up his left arm.

"You're... you're human?" Zim asked, shocked.

* * *

Dib and Zim sat on the floor, listening to the strange teen tell his horrible tale. A few awkward minutes had passed, and finally, Dib had asked the boy who he was. Rudimentary introductions had been made, and they found themselves mesmerized by his strange mannerisms. Neither was quick to forget the glowing rings.

"Now I can't quite remember everything that happened... but I think it started back with that phone call..." he said, furrowing his brow in concentration.

_"Hello," he said, picking up the receiver. "Fenton Works Ghost research, can I-"_

_"Is this Daniel?" came a harsh voice from the other end._

_"Yes... who is this?"_

_"Shut up and listen carefully, you half-breed freak!"_

_Danny stopped. "Okay, who the hell is this?" he snarled into the receiver. He'd just about had it with that name._

_"You are to deliver an ultimatum to your parents in my stead. Normally I deliver such demands personally, but I'm at something of a distance, and cannot be quite as… personal about it. I require fifty million dollars in U.S. currency… and a little something special."_

_"And what if they don't do it?"_

_"Then... you'll die."_


	2. Weapon

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

**Chapter Two:**

**Weapon**

* * *

_The Fenton children listened while their parents argued in the kitchen. It had been like this for three hours now since Danny had told them about the phone call. Maddie was sobbing, Jack was slamming his fist on the table. They were fighting over what to do. If they gave the man Danny, they'd lose their son. If they gave him the weapon... well, handing him Danny might have just been easier. But Maddie wouldn't have it, and Jack refused to hand over his only son to a terrorist. So now the question remained: how were they going to keep the weapon away from him? Jack wanted to hide it, Maddie thought it just might be easier to just destroy it, and that was the point of contention between the Fentons._

_Danny lay on his bed, listening, his own mind going in circles. The man knew what he was, that meant he was either spying on them or he knew Danny personally, which he doubted. So by that conclusion, he figured they were being watched, and apparently very well since no one had even noticed anything out of the ordinary. And that probably meant he had to know where the weapon was. Any moment the bastard could come into their house and just take it, and probably do whatever he wanted to the Fentons once he had it, if it was as powerful as his parents made it sound. Danny wasn't going to have it, so he phased through the floor and into the basement. The portal was sitting open, so he shut it quickly and got to looking for something he didn't recognize. He searched for hours for something big that looked like it could destroy the planet (which was funny, because most of Jack's inventions posed some threat of destruction or another) but found nothing of the sort. At least, nothing he didn't recognize already._

_He did, however, find a little device on the table, but it hardly looked dangerous. It looked like a single wrist cuff, except slightly thinner and a lot more technical. Knowing how his father worked, he didn't dare put it on, since he expected that it might kill him. So he lay it back on the table and phased once more through the ceiling. They had to have already hidden the weapon, or it would have been there. So Danny materialized in the kitchen. The flash alerted his parents._

_"Mom, Dad..." he started, and trailed off._

_They went silent, looking at each other and then their son. "Danny, we-"_

_"I'm having Sam and Tucker over. They'll be here soon. I'll be outside if you need me," he said, and his parents sighed with relief. Questions would have been bad right now._

_Sam and Tucker arrived right on cue._

_"Hey, man, you okay?" Tucker asked as he walked in the door. Sam followed shortly after, her eyes mirroring his question._

_"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me," he said, waving his hand. The trio had started towards the kitchen when another knock was heard from the door. Danny waved his friends towards the kitchen. "Go, I'll get it. I'll be back!" he said and opened the door._

_There stood a man he didn't recognize, clothed in all black and staring at him with a malicious smile. Danny started backing away, practically seeing the man's dark intent._

_He opened his mouth the shout the warning to his parents but the man snapped his fingers and more men rushed in, tackling him and cupping a hand over his mouth._

_The men slipped silently into the house and apprehended the others one by one. Danny struggled against the weight of the man pinning him to the ground with a gloved hand clapped over his mouth. The two rings appeared around Danny's waist, but started to spark and shocked him like he was wearing a specter deflector._

_"Ha! That won't work, little man. These gloves are coated in ecto-ranium and block your powers, so don't try anything!" the man snarled and yanked Danny up off of the ground._

_He found himself stuck in the middle of the living room, a gun pointed at his head. Maddie was sobbing and Jack was being wrestled to the ground, while behind him Sam and Tucker were trying to fight off their assailants, though to no avail. One of them had sprained Tucker's wrist, and Sam was being forced into the stairs._

_"Now," the man said, his eyes fixed on Danny's parents. "Where is the weapon?"_

_"You aren't getting it!" Jack roared from his spot on the floor. The man cocked the gun._

_"I warned you!" he shrieked, and moved to pull the trigger._

_"No!" Maddie screamed._

The boys sitting on the floor in front of him watched him intently, both morbidly fascinated with the story. Danny paused a moment, collecting his thoughts. He was still having a hard time remembering exact details, let alone just how long he'd been sitting in the ghost zone. He touched his arm, feeling his human flesh again, and it felt strange. His skin tingled at the raw air, since his arms hadn't been bare in quite a few years.

Zim got to his feet and started tugging on Danny's pocket. "Don't stop there! I must know what happened! Tell ZIM!" he shouted, and Danny laughed.

"Alright, just calm down. If I remember right, he was just about to pull the trigger, right?"

The two boys nodded.

"Alright, now I remember. So the guy was just about to pull the trigger..."

_"No! Please no!" Maddie sobbed, and the man froze._

_"Then where is it!" he roared, his face almost turning purple. "If you don't tell me, I won't just kill your son. I'll make sure he suffers for eternity!" he roared, throwing a hand back and punching a hole through the fabric of reality. Apparently, his gloves were more than just ghost suppressors. She screamed and was silenced with a hand over her mouth._

_"Now, where is the weapon?" he asked, a little more calmly._

_"There is no weapon!" Danny shouted. "Now let me go!"_

_The man laughed wickedly. "Kid, silence. You don't know about what you speak. Now, where is it?"_

_"In the basement... the table..." Maddie muttered._

_The man smiled. "Thank you, dear. Now, to serve as a reminder, say goodbye to your boy!" he shouted and dragged Danny back to the black hole._

_"No!" Maddie screamed. Jack, in his anger, bucked the men holding him down. One of them rammed into the man holding Danny, and he slipped free, bolting out of the room._

_"Get back here!" the man roared and chased after him. Danny was already through the basement door, opening the portal. He snatched the cuff up off the table and stuffed it into his pocket. He didn't notice the gun until after it had gone off, a bullet tearing through his left arm. He screamed and staggered back._

_"No, you won't be getting away. No, you're going to pay for your parents' mistake." He cocked the gun and another bullet filled the chamber. "Now... any last words?"_

_Danny stepped back into the portal. "Go to hell!" he shouted and then the portal doors slammed shut, trapping him in the ghost zone._

The boys were on their knees from excitement. "I can't believe he tried to kill you!" Dib said almost breathlessly, leaping to his feet and throwing his arms in the air.

Zim was tugging at Danny's pocket again. "Show me this 'weapon.' I'll say if it's that powerful or not."

Danny reached into his pocket, pulling forth the cuff. It was open.

"Hmm... it wouldn't open before..." Danny mumbled. Zim took it in his hands and eyed it. "This... this is more advanced than the rest of your pathetic human technology!" Zim exclaimed, sticking his tongue out at Dib.

"Yeah, my parents did do a lot of that kind of stuff. I never really understood much of it..." he murmured. Well it was mostly true. A lot of the things that his parents had invented hadn't made much sense, but not for the reason that Danny didn't understand. Some of it had malfunctioned or hadn't worked at all, and the gadgets that did work, Danny usually pilfered for use with Sam and Tucker on their patrol rounds.

"So how come you couldn't get back out of that portal?" Dib asked, looking at the closed doors of the Ghost portal. Danny pondered a moment.

"It was locked from the outside," Danny said at last. "When he was chasing me I activated the locking mechanism. If you don't know the password, and you're not related to my dad, you can't open the door." He shrugged.

Then he felt something. A presense, one that hadn't been there for almost... well he didn't know how long he'd been gone but it had been a long time. And it was coming fast.

"He's coming..." he whispered.

"Who's coming?" Dib asked, getting to his feet.

"I know what this is!" Zim shouted. "This is a..."

* * *

Deep in the earth, something stirred. Her eyes opened and a wicked smile touched her sinister lips. "At last, the boy has returned..." she said viciously. "It's time." 


	3. Exposition

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

**Chapter Three:**

**Exposition**

* * *

  
"You cuff this around your left wrist and it taps into your nervous system, creating a constant flow of electricity through your body and allowing for your body to draw on the extra electric pulses in order to multiply your reflexes, strength, and your brain processes. The only problem is that your body goes into a withdrawl state and may possibly shut down if you take it off," Zim explained, and Danny nodded in confirmation.

"So far, it's too unstable to use. It causes a power overload through the entire nervous system that might result in instant fatality."

"Jeez, that's one tough bracelet," Dib muttered. His mind wandered back to the moment the portal opened, and he suddenly had so many questions, even if they were a little nosy. "Uh... can I ask you something?" he asked the older boy, who simply nodded while he examined the metal device. His crystal blue eyes continually flicked to the door, as though he were anticipating someone bursting through the door at any moment. He seemed... distant.

"Well... first, how long have you been in that portal? I mean, Ms. Bitters was saying that this place was destroyed over fifty years ago..." he started. Danny's face visibly paled, and he nodded. "Oh... so what happened to everyone? What happened to cause all this... destruction?"

The mere thought of destruction made Zim laugh, but the other two paid no heed.

Danny shrugged, his eyes still focused on the door. "I'm guessing it was him... I don't know what happened after I went into the ghost zone. I'm guessing he had something to do with it, but I don't think I can prove anything."

Dib nodded, still so many questions plaguing his mind. The silence was killing him, making him nervous...

"How are you still a teenager? What is the ghost zone? Who was that guy, the one who tried to kill you? You said you got shot, where's the wound? I don't understand!" he blurted out, and the moment he finished he clapped his hands over his mouth. Danny turned to stare at him, an eyebrow arched.

Zim's eye twitched in dislike. "Filthy human..." he muttered under his breath.

Danny sighed. "The Ghost Zone. I'll start there, since none of the rest of this will make sense unless I explain this," he said, brushing his hair back wearily. "It started a long time ago..."

* * *

  
_"My lord, according to our spies, the boy hasn't left the house. There are two others with him, they called them human children. He's been in there with these children for quite some time, now. They may know more than they should, and are considered dangerous by our intelligence. There is a whole group of children in Amity Park, accompanied by an older woman. She terrified our intelligence, so we know very little else about this situation. They suggest a bit more reconnaissance work before attempting to kidnap the boy."_

_"Does he have the weapon?"_

_"Our intelligence hasn't been able to get into the house. There is too great a risk of being seen."_

_"Very well, follow them until we learn more about these children. They may be useful yet."_

The report hadn't gone as he'd hoped it might have. But that was no matter. They would gain more intelligence no matter what the cost. He shut the holo-pad on his watch and turned to the girl whose neck he was wringing. She was a plain girl, with nothing interesting about her, except for the fact that she held the keys to this building filled to the brink with knowledge. The crude human sign on the door called this building a library. Well, it served its purpose. The girl ceased her clawing at his hands and fell limp as she lost consciousness. He dropped her and left the building, his form changing as he went. The moment he stepped out the door, the building burst into flame.

"Now, my boy, where are you..." he said in a sing-song voice as he walked down the street. "My employer has need of you."

* * *

  
Zim stared at him with a brow raised. "You're not human," he stated, as if he needed to hear himself say it before he would believe it. "You," he said again, now circling Danny, "are not human. Well, I suppose that explains one thing about you," he muttered.

"Hey! Watch it, you filthy-"

"SILENCE!" Zim roared and tackled Dib.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Alright, c'mon, we need to get out of here..." he trailed off. Dib read Danny's eyes and knew what he was thinking. He felt sorry for him.

"Why don't you come back with us? I mean, you don't have anywhere else to go... oh! And maybe you can prove some of my theories!" he said, his eyes lit up with excitement.

"Has your puny human mind forgotten something, Dib monkey? We can't just take him out in public! You humans are an ignorant breed. The others would find it suspicious if we suddenly came back with-"

His last words were cut off as the room was engulfed in flames and an explosion rocked Amity park. A cold, malicious laugh filled the air, followed by scorching heat and debris the likes of which none had ever seen.

* * *

  
"What the hell was that?" snarled the frightening old woman as a building down the street exploded. Debris rained down on the children. "Back to the bus!" she called, and the class was quick to follow her orders. She called off their names, and one by one they answered, until she came to the bottom of the list. "Zim!" she called. There was no answer. "This may not end well..."


	4. Into the Flames

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

_Author's Notes: Since taking up this story again, I've been modifying some chapters to take out bad spelling, grammar, and make it flow better. Some chapters will have added sections. This is one of those chapters. Thanks for reading everyone!_

**Chapter Four:**

**Into the Flames**

* * *

Zim couldn't see or hear, or even feel anything. There was complete nothingness, almost like his body had just stopped functioning. In those few moments the air was released from his chest, like he'd been stuck in a vacuum tube and all the air had gone. He had his eyes shut tight, his jaw locked, his fists clenched. His mind was racing... as well as his pack, which had wrapped him in a protective layer of plasma. He couldn't see the other two, of course owing to the fact that he couldn't open his eyes.

_Am I going to die?_

As quickly as it had started, it was over. His pack hadn't quite gotten the plasma around him fast enough, so his skin was slightly crispy. He moved delicately, not wanting to worsen his injuries. It was only now that he could look around to survey the damage. The air from the city blew around them, clearing away the smoke, dust, and falling debris. There was no more house. In fact, most of the block had been blown sky high. He was standing in a crater, and it looked like the only piece of architecture that had survived was the great metal blast door and the control panel that operated it.

The next thing he laid his eyes on was something that caused him to shout out in surprise. "What the-!"

Danny was grabbing tightly to Dib's arm, as though protecting him. Their bodies were strange... like mist, almost. Dib's eyes were still tightly closed. Danny, however, had already let go, and was holding his head. "Damn... too soon for major ghost powers..." he muttered and leaned against the portal doors. Zim's mouth was still hangong open. Danny was returning the look of slight shock. Neither said anything for a moment.

The silence was shattered by another evil laugh. It chilled them to the bones. "Danny Phantom... we meet again," he hissed, stepping down into the crater. "It's been awhile. Fifty years, to be precise. Now... hand over the weapon."

Zim moved his arm slightly. He was still holding the cuff in his hand. Well, the man still thought the strange ghost thing still had the cuff. As long as he concentrated on Danny, Zim would be able to keep this item of immense power from the fool who was trying to take his job. He might be able to use it himself... well, if it weren't so unstable.

Danny stuffed his hands into his pocket. "What weapon?" he asked, staring him down. "I don't use weapons. You should know that." The man didn't shift his eyes from the ghost boy. Zim moved slowly, so as not to draw his attention, and the cuff was sucked into his pack. It was then that he noticed the young green boy who didn't have a nose. They stared for a few moments, as though reading each other like a book. Zim took a step towards Danny, who placed a hand on both boys' shoulders. The expression on the young Irken's face shifted from one of slight irritation to one of extreme anger when he realized that he wasn't looking at a human, but another alien.

"You know the weapon of which I speak. Do not play stupid, I am not fooled. But if you aren't going to give it to me quietly, then I'll just have to take it!" the alien man roared, dashing forward. He didn't have the pistol this time, but he really didn't need it, because his hands were twisting into sharp metal tendrils. Danny pushed the boys aside.

"Run damn it!" he roared, clenching his hands into fists. Two shining white rings appeared around his waist and split, shooting in opposite directions and changing him from Fenton to Phantom. The tendrils passed through his intangible flesh and nailed the metal doors. "I said run!" he shouted again, dashing forward. "I'll catch up!"

Zim remained stationary, watching in awe. "But... but..." he started, but was interrupted when Dib grabbed his arm and dragged him up and out of the ruins. "You filthy little worm what are you doing? We can't just run away!"

Below them, Danny whipped around the tendrils, green bolts of plasma flashing from his hands and into the dark metal creature. Their deadly dance was flawless, precise. Attack, retreat, attack, retreat in an endless cycle. The man whipped low, attempting to trip the ghost boy. He succeeded, and Danny was sent tumbling towards the ground. He threw out his arms and pushed himself over and flipped back up, stopping in mid air and turning.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, dodging more tendrils.

"Call me... Xanu," the man replied. He threw another attack at Danny, this time nailing him through the left shoulder. "And don't forget that."

Danny yelped and lurched back. The force drew the tendril out from his shoulder once more and he scrambled up the side of the crater. "Damn..." he mumbled as he dashed after the two boys. They turned to see him and started shouting.

"Hurry up!" Dib called, slowing slightly. Zim yanked him on when he saw more tentacles shooting up out of the ground.

A flurry of fire exploded behind them in a mushroom cloud.

"Don't look back, damn it! Just go!" Danny roared as he caught up with them. They didn't argue with the order. The skool bus loomed ahead. Danny might have stopped to question the improper spelling on the bus, but he was a bit busy running for his life. He'd ask that question later. The children of the bus were whooping and hollering at the boys. Danny paid the embarrassment of hopping onto a random bus no heed and they plowed into the vehicle. The older woman looked like she was going to kill the two boys, but Danny was quick to interrupt the idea as he roared, "GO! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" at the bus driver. He panicked and slammed on the gas pedal.

* * *

The six hundred fifty mile drive from Amity Park, Michigan was a long one. Danny lay on the aisle of the school bus, clenching his bleeding shoulder. There was a group surrounding him, looking at him like he was some strange specimen of insect. He hoped that he wouldn't be asked for an explanation until after he'd received medical attention. They were whispering amongst each other, not sure what to think of this odd new person who'd appeared almost out of nowhere.

The two boys, Dib and Zim, were sitting beside him. Dib was examining the wound, and Zim was glaring and growling ferrally at anyone who dared to get too close. Behind them, Amity Park shrank into the distance. Danny propped himself up on his good arm and whispered, "Did you hide it?"

Zim nodded and gestured towards his pack. He hadn't stopped to question why he was helping this strange person. Hell, normally he'd have left people like him to die. But lately, his feelings on destroying this planet had changed on him, almost like this planet had grown on him. Of course, he was still going to continue with his human experimentation, but he figured... well, this place had kinda become his home, now.

"We'll talk about what we're going to do as soon as we get back to skool, okay?" Dib whispered, eying Ms. Bitters as he said it. "I don't think she's very happy with us." Hissing behind him confirmed his statement.

"Would you two like to explain why you just blew up a historical site?" she snarled. "And who is this?"

The moments came when the two of them had to think up a story, and fast. "We didn't blow up that building! It was-"

"An old gas leak," Danny supplied. "There were some broken gas pipes. I tripped over some flint, and it sparked the explosion."

"Then how did you escape the blast?" she asked, glaring at him suspiciously.

"I didn't escape it completely," he said, pointing at his shoulder. Dib tried to avoid smiling. Well, at least that would answer that question. Ahead of them, the city lay sprawled out. He'd never been so happy to come back.

* * *

Danny stood on the sidewalk just outside of the skool building, staring at the sign with a mixture of confusion and irritation. The boys exited the building after a few moments, both looking some degree of relieved.

"Well, she bought your story. We just had to come up with where you came from," Dib said, trying to see what Danny was staring at. Zim laughed under his breath.

Danny tore his eyes away from the sign for a second. "So what happened?"

_"Dib, Zim, EXPLAIN. WHERE did you find that boy and WHY did you bring him back?" she asked, glaring at both of them with hellfire in her eyes. They looked frightened. Well, that part of her job had been done right._

_Dib, at last, spoke. "He's a college student. Studying archeology. He was doing research on the Amity Park mystery and we ran into him." That answer seemed to satisfy one question._

_"Then why in the world did you bring him back with us?"_

_"Because... he's... Zim's brother!"_

_Zim stared at him. "He is? I mean, yes! He's my brother. My very much older than me brother. Who's now here visiting. Temporarily."_

_She stared them down for a few minutes. Dib could feel his skin crawl, but after a while, she stood straight up._

_"Fine then. Now go away."_

_The boys complied, running out of the room as fast as they possibly could._

Danny nodded, a smile flickering on his worn features. "Little brother, eh?" he said, laughing. Zim scowled as Danny ruffled his hair and batted his hand away.

"Don't get used to it! It's only until we take care of the shifters!" he grumbled.

"Shifters?" Danny repeated.

Zim nodded. "That's what they call themselves. We call them _annoying_. They tend to attack anyone who displays any amount of competence and power. Nasty breed."

"Alright then. So, where to?" Danny asked.

Dib thought for a moment. "Well, I don't think it's a good idea to go back to my house..." he said, catching Zim's look. "Because Gaz is there."

Zim nodded quickly. "I think it best to avoid the frightening sibling as much as possible."

* * *

"Sir? What happened?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." He fell silent for a few moments as he brooded. "Bring them all back to the ship. I want those boys followed. One of them has the weapon, and I will have it. The mistress would be terribly unpleased if we lost it and the boy, so we'd best not make any more mistakes. Let's not mention this little excursion, either."

The other man bowed and left the room, leaving Xanu alone with his thoughts. "Damn," he whispered to himself. "That little brat... thinking he could escape me by going into that... place... and now he's found the Irken. How is this possible, that the two greatest menaces to my plans have found one another? Oh, she will not be pleased when she hears of this... most certainly not. We'll have to dispose of the Irken and the human."

He paced the room with his hands behind his back.

"How to remove them... how..."

He thought the matter over for several long minutes... and at last, he came to a conclusion. One that seemed so perfect, so dark. He would have to do very little work. And soon, it would all fall into place.


	5. Within the Twilight

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

_Author's Notes: Hello again, sorry for taking so long to update. I'll just say that writer's block really sucks. Moving didn't help, either. But, at last, I have finally come up with another chapter. It's a little off-centered from the main plot, but it ties in quite nicely. Thank you for the patience and support, so here it is, the fifth chapter of "Invasion."_

**Chapter Five:**

**Within the Twilight

* * *

**

_There is a tale to be told, a record of things passed, things that must be told. In the retelling of this epic tale, I will do my best to give a complete and accurate account of the events that took place, as well as remain as impartial as possible, though I do apologize if I may sound a bit biased. Even so, I do not believe it will take anything from this story. It all began in a place few are brave enough to venture, and fewer ever return. It is a place where evil is born and terror may thrive. It is the twilight between waking and sleeping, of life and death; it is a land of nightmare. It is the place where a departed soul must make the choice to walk the path of light, of darkness, or of power. It is before the gates of the netherworld that this epic tale begins..._

_It should have ended on that day, the day the pact was forged. But it wasn't. The wars had gone on for eons, amongst the gods and ancients, for the power of apocalypse. It was Mother, the guardian of light, who eventually took the battle by force. She was normally peaceful, but the war that raged on between her brothers and sisters had struck her final nerve. With her power she created one being who could turn the tide of battles, whom she called the Eternal, and using him, she brought the war to a grinding halt. It was then that the pact was forged between the Guardians, or Gods: they were Mother of the light, Asmodius of the law, Natas of the cold, Be'lakor of the darkness, Witherend of fire, Cirria of Air, Kalliva of the seas, Ravial of Earth, and Mobieus of time. It was agreed that none of them, save for Mobieus and Ravial, were allowed to interfere with mortal affairs. The others would leave to the other three planes; Mother and her nine children, the ancients Chaste, Depravity, Ardor, Ire, Lore, Hope, Trepidation, Valor, and Vigor, would go to the afterlife, where they would remain. Malygrymm, the reaper of souls, would travel between the realms and do as commanded: guide departed souls to the crossroads and through their choices. Asmodius, though he didn't want to leave his lover and his children, took three of his brothers, Natas, Witherend, and Be'lakor to the realm of hell. Along with him came Cerberus, the guardian of the gate. Cirria, who'd grown fond of the Eternal, vowed to remain by his side, and so went with him to roam the four realms. Kalliva returned to her home in the seas, and Ravial chose to wander the land she created as a child, continuing to make her Earth beautiful and innocent. Mobieus, who favored solitude, retreated to the infinate void of the ghost zone to build his fortress._

_As winner of the great battle, Mother took the power of apocalypse and hid it away. Only one other knew where it was._

_For ten thousand years the balance went undisturbed. That is, until one day, when Depravity, daughter of Mother and the ancient of evil, went mad and began her crusade against the living and the gods. The Guardians, bound by the pact, were forced to stand by. And so the ancients took the battle into their own hands. The battle raged for many years, through all of the realms, until it all almost came to an end. In those final moments, it was agreed that Mother (who was now known as Mother amongst, well, everyone) would be allowed to end it. And though it pained her greatly, she did, by tearing her daughter into three. And so the gods convened once again, to discuss what to do with these three parts of the being of evil. At last it was decided that they would be hidden away in each of the three immortal realms. Malignance, which was Depravity's tactical brilliance, was handed over to Mobieus to lock in the ghost zone. Malice, her overwhelming strength, was sealed in a tomb in heaven. And Malevolence, which was her cruelty and hatred, was given to Asmodius, her father, to hide away in the fires of hell._

_Peace once again prevailed for over five thousands years, and the fires of war and the battles of Gods were forgotten._

_Until the fateful day came when one fourteen year-old boy by the name of Danny Fenton set off a chain reaction that would change the face of history. After accidentally altering his own genetic code and species altogether, he found himself thrust into a position of power, and using that, he (unlike his nemesis, Vlad Masters) followed the path of good and worked towards the betterment of humanity. He became that which Mother had intended to turn the tide of battles._

_Over the course of two years he battled the ghosts that threatened his town and family (thanks to his father's goofy mishaps) and each time won. Well, almost each time. At the tender age of sixteen, he (unbeknownst to him) took on the challenge of stopping a deadly force from obliterating the human race. Malignance, who was Depravity's intelligence, had discovered a way to project its essence upon another being, something Danny had nicknamed "overshadowing," and in doing so, was able to ensnare a young lahmpir girl and use her to reunite itself with one of its other parts. But it wasn't enough. In order for Depravity to become whole, Nefarious (the union of Malignance and Malice) would have to find a way into Hell and, with the help of one key ingredient, unite with the final part._

_By using Tucker as bait, Malignance had been able to steal some of the ghost boy's blood, therefore giving Nefarious the tool by which to reunite Depravity._

_And so it did._

_Depravity, once whole, then commanded an army of damned and demonic souls into the mortal world and waged war against mankind. With the help of two Ancients, Valor and Vigor, they were able to keep the demon hordes at bay, but only for a short time. In the end, Danny was forced to confront Depravity, as well as his own fears, to save everyone and everything that he'd ever loved._

_And, in the end, though he regretted it bitterly, he was forced to make the irrevocable decision, and had to kill the ancient of evil. She was supposed to have gone to heaven, to have lived out eternity in peace at last with the hellion she'd sacrificed it all for. At last, there was peace._

_At least, that was what was supposed to have happened._

_In death, they say there is a final choice. There is the choice of peace, to live in the afterlife in tranquility. There is the choice of power, to come back to existence in the form of a restless ectoplasmic entity. And there is the choice of war, of eternal struggle that calls to the evil of heart. This choice takes place at a crossroads, in a place between waking and sleeping, and life and death. They call it the twilight._

_It is in this twilight that we open this story._

It begins with the swirling, gray mists of the twilight. There is no sound or light, only a glow. In the middle of it all there is a wisp of something unlike the mists. A pair of eyes open, a pair of blazing red eyes. They look around, confused and alone. What is this place? Why was she here? It didn't quite make any sense.

The eyes looked around. There were three choices: a lighted path, a swirling green vortex, and a set of black wrought-iron gates. And the eyes realized she wasn't alone. A being stood beside each choice, eying her. And somehow she recognized them all. Beside the lighted path was Malygrymm, the reaper. Beside the swirling green vortex was Mobieus, master of time. And beside the wrought-iron gates stood Cerberus, the guardian.

She was afraid, and so floated there, trembling. "W-where am I?"

The three headed guardian spoke first. "You are at the crossroads, child of evil. You have died, and as of yet, we are unsure of where to put you."

She paused a moment. "Dead?"

Malygrymm spoke. "Dead as a door-nail, child."

She glared at him. "What do you mean I'm dead? I can't be dead!"

"You're dead. Which is why you're sitting here. Dat happens when you go an' threaten all of humanity. Someone is bound to stand up an' kill ya."

"No! Shut up!"

"And a good 'ting, too, since I'd be out of a job, what wit' da whole population gone," he mused, leaning lazily against his scythe.

"I said shut up, you insolent bag of bones, or I shall rip you limb from limb!" she snarled viciously.

"Tough talk from a floating pair of eyes."

"That's enough!" Mobieus roared, as his form shifted to that of an old man. "You, child, have caused great harm, and in doing so, nearly destroyed everything. As punishment, it has been decided that you no longer hold the priviledge of a physical body."

"What?"

An infant replaced the old man. "You heard me. I tolerate far less than your mother does. Or your father. Furthermore, you will not be allowed to enter heaven or hell, since we've seen you get out of both of them. Instead, you are to come with me to the ghost zone, where I will keep watch over you."

"But-"

"This is not a debate. Now come." A young man's body shifted from the child's.

She started screaming in protest, shrieking unintelligible curses. Cerberus shook his three heads and Malygrymm covered his ear holes. With a wave of Mobieus' hand she was silent, frozen in time.

"We'll let her cool off in the ghost zone."

"So dat's it, Clockwork?"

"Yes, for now. We'll see how this arrangement works out for our little evil one. In the meantime, Grimm, why don't you get back to reaping before your 'friends' demand your return."

Malygrymm grumbled. "Stupid kids..."

"As for me, I must return to my tower and be sure that a certain ghost hasn't escaped his thermos." With a snap of his fingers, the wisp and eyes floated behind him, ever frozen.  
She awakened in a place she didn't recognize. At least, this part. Judging from the swirling green mists and eerie glow, she was certain she was in the Ghost Zone. Slowly she looked around. There was a vast number of clocks and sun dials and sand timers. She moved from this room to another larger chamber, one with a great bell and a swirling mirror set in an intricate frame. And there was someone there, three, actually. Two of them she didn't recognize. They wore white robes and their heads resembled eyeballs. They were arguing with someone she did recognize, and that was Mobieus.

"I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into," one of the eyeballs said. "That creature is dangerous-"

"Though less so here than anywhere else. In the mortal realm, she can overshadow someone. And she can escape from heaven and hell AND possess a mortal body. She'll have a harder time escaping here."

"But don't you already have charge over several evil ghosts?" said the second eyeball.

"Perhaps, but one is in a thermos, one is in a cage, and the last one is, well, incapacitated." A shriek punctuated his sentance. "That would be the one in the cage."

"What do you plan to do with Depravity, Clockwork?" asked the first eyeball.

He thought a moment. "She will remain here. After all, she is my niece. I will keep her here in the fortress, and trust me, she cannot leave."

"We've seen what she's capable of-"

"I don't doubt that, since that is what observers do."

"We are concerned-"

"I haven't had a problem yet. I will see to her, and you will remain spectators. Now, care to observe the door?"

Irritated, the two eyeballs moved out of the room.

"I see you're awake," Mobieus called to the eyes peering around the corner. She gasped, taken aback at being discovered.

"How did you-"

"I am aware of all that goes on in my fortress. I suppose you have questions, but I will not answer them if you start screaming again."

She looked at her hands, and then realized she had hands. "Wha...?"

He led her into the room. "First, we'll start off with 'where am I?' since that was the first on your mind. You are here in the fortress of time, my home. You are here under a sort of house arrest. You may not leave."

She growled and nodded. "Who were those two eyes with bodies?"

"The observers."

"Why do I have a body?"

"You don't. Well, not a physical one. You're simply a ghost. And since this is the Ghost Zone, you are free to move around my fortress as a ghost."

"Why did those... observers... call you Clockwork?"

"Because that is what I wish to be called. Here in the Ghost Zone, there is nothing of the gods and our wars. And I want to keep it that way. Totally neutral."

She gaped at him. "What about... the boy. The little fool who killed me," she snarled.

"Daniel? He's alive and well, much to your dismay, I see." She was seething. "I don't suppose you're going to forget it any time soon, but we have eternity. You'll learn to forgive. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to. You are free to roam about my fortress, but you may not leave. I am not ordering it, it is simply a statement."

And in a whirl of clock hands, Mobieus vanished.

The first thing she did after Mobieus left was explore. Even if every inch of her burned for revenge, she was still curious. And so she wandered the corridors and various rooms, taking a mental note of each. There were some light rooms, with beautiful artifacts, and some dark rooms that fascinated her. But one room in particular caught her interest more than the others. There were others in that room.

One was a young woman, locked in a cage. She might have been human, at one point. Now she looked mad. She had what looked like tentacles writhing from her back and a third eye placed in the center of her forehead. Her skin was pale and she was shrieking madly as Depravity entered the room. With a glance from the dark ancient, the girl fell silent. In what looked like a giant bubble was a man, who was curled up, sleeping. He was gaunt and unnaturally thin. And in what looked like a great big glass box of ectoplasm, there was a... thermos?

She heard a rasping giggle from the girl in the cage. "Have you come to free us, then?"

"No. I cannot do much with an ethereal body." She slid her ghostly fingers along the clear box and tapped the glass. A wicked laugh was her reply. "Who was that?"

"Oh that's just Dan. He's insane."

"More so than you? My, he must be a interesting fellow. Why's he in a thermos? Or, perhaps a better question: what are you all doing here? Who are you?"

The girl giggled again. "We are here because we are an imminent threat to humanity. We just wanted to rule it. Dan Phantom over there wanted to just cause chaos."

"Danny Phantom?" she asked quickly.

"No, not the brat. Dan Phantom. That's the boy's evil older self that no longer should exist but does anyways. I am Miriana, and over there, that's Jaston. We tried to take over the world using Hysteria, but the stupid kid got in the way. Killed us both. And Dan over there just ended up getting caught in the stupid thermos."

Depravity nodded. "Why's he-"

"In suspended animation? He's a psychic. If he were awake, he could release us again and-"

"Again? Explain."

"Well, the first time, he just unlocked my cage, I powered down the force-field, and we took off, though now that I look back on it, I should have probably let Dan out, too. It might have worked better. But anyways, there's not much we can do anymore." She sobbed loudly. "So ends the reign of the Prince of Darkness and Dr. Madness! Oh woe is me!" she wailed, and began screaming again.

Depravity growled. "Shut up a moment, would you please? You said Dr. Madness?"

"Yes, that's what I called myself. I like to think of myself as a mad scientist." Her face lit up. "Oh! Oh! I have an idea!"

Depravity was inspecting Dan Phantom's box. "What?" she asked, uninterested.

"I know how to attach souls to bodies!"

"That doesn't do you much good from there, now does it?"

The smile vanished. "Well... no..."

"That's what I thought. Tell me, does Mobieus... er... Clockwork... have a library?"

"I think so. It's upstairs. Why?"

"I have a small idea. I will be seeing you soon."

The library the girl Miriana had spoken of was enormous. She guessed that it had to hold a copy of nearly every book written... and then some. But she knew what she was looking for and where she might find it, so she set to work discovering the book's location. It was an ancient tome she'd heard about from her sister, Lore a long time ago (since Lore HAD read every book ever written) and knew it had to be here.

The library took hours and hours to search. There were billions of books, some in strange tongues and odd scribbles. This one she knew would be in a strange language, but she had the mad scientist girl to help her with that. That, and Lore wasn't around.

"This... this must be it..." she whispered several more hours later. It was a huge leather-bound tome that was covered in nearly an inch of dust and dirt. It hadn't been touched in hundreds of years. She picked it up and carried it to her room, where she hid it under her bed until she was certain that Clockwork had left again.

When he had left, she slipped out of her room with the heavy tome and slipped into the holding chamber. She slid it to the base of the cage and said, "Read this. Now."

The girl laughed. "So you want to command me, is that it?"

"I will command you as long as you sit there in that cage. And if you don't, I will tear your soul out of EXISTENCE!"

Miriana stared at her. "I... oh alright. Let me have a look at it." A tentacle slid between the bars and dusted off the cover of the book. She studied it a moment. "It's difficult to read, I think this is written in a satanic tongue. This is... the... book... the book of... The Book of Blasphemy!"

Depravity gave them a wicked smile. "Perfect."  
It was the gunshot, ultimately, that had pushed Sam into her hysterical fit. She broke the hold on her wrists and bolted down the stairs, just in time to see Danny vanished into the mists of the Ghost Zone. She screamed as the man slammed against the great metal doors. He turned on her, then, and started for her, a mad glint in his black eyes.

He was but a few feet away when the doors slammed open once more, but it wasn't Danny that emerged. It was another ghost, one with pearly white skin and flaming red eyes. Sam opened her mouth to scream... but nothing came out. She couldn't scream... hell, she couldn't breathe. And in little more than a few seconds, she couldn't see, either. But she could hear, and she could feel.

What she felt was her mouth moving, and what she heard was someone else's voice issuing from her violet lips. "I have a proposal for you, Xanu," she heard herself say. The man called Xanu stopped. "One that will benefit both you and I."

"I'm listening, then," he replied. She could almost hear his smirking.

"What is it that you want with that weapon?"

"What else? Conquest. Glory. Power. I want the universe to bow down before the might of the Shifters. And I want to be their king."

She nodded. "Power, then? I can give you that. I can give you whatever you require, in exchange for your services."

Xanu eyed her for a moment. Sam wanted to scream, but there was really nothing she could do about it.

"How do you plan to back up your proposal? Explain how it is that you can offer me so much power."

"That is simple, my good man. But I don't have the time to explain, since it is a long story, and the others are sure to come looking for my host. Before I grant you such power, though, you must give me something in return."

He nodded. Well, it was worth a shot. "Very well. Name your price, and I will oblige."

"I require a body. My body. Make it how you will, but I want my body. And the boy. I want the boy brought to me, but only after I am returned to a physical body."

He thought for a few moments, and then nodded at last. "Fine. You can have the boy, but I want his weapon."

She smiled a dark, sinister smile, one quite unbecoming of Sam. "Deal," she said, extending her hand to shake. He took it, his own hand cold and metallic.

"Deal," he repeated. She turned, slipped up the stairs and vanished.

* * *

  
"He's returned, mistress."

"Has he? So late? I had begun to think that the Ghost Zone had swallowed him up, but perhaps I was wrong." Her lovely Gothic features hadn't aged a day, and her once-lavender but now flaming red eyes were shining with malice. A sinister smile was playing on her lips. "How is the construction of my body coming along?"

"Quite well, mistress. We still haven't discovered a way to release the three within Mobieus' fortress, but we're still working on it."

She was silent for a moment. "Well, hurry. No doubt my nosy Uncle is still trying to find me, and if he discovers it was with their help, it won't be long before he tracks me down, and if my body isn't complete by then... well, all of our plans will be ruined."

He nodded. "I understand. Would you like me to bring you the boy?"

She thought a moment. "No... not yet. He'll recognize my eyes, and we can't have that. Leave the Irken, too. Daniel will only come running after the child."

"Very well, mistress. We will increase the pace of construction for your body."

She nodded and dismissed him. An image of the boy flashed onto the holopad in the center of the room. He rotated as she circled it, sneering darkly. "This time, Phantom, I will rip out your heart."


	6. Survivors

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

_Author's Notes: I know it's really soon for an update, but I'd like to get to the really exciting parts, so here you are, another plot-moving chapter of "Invasion."**  
**_

**Chapter Six:**

**Survivors  
**

* * *

Zim tried to sleep that night, but sleep eluded him, avoided his mind like a plague. It pained him, because he was completely and entirely exhausted. Sure, his pack kept him running for days and days without rest, but sometimes, natural rest did better than artifical energy. So, in light of his lack of sleep, he left his tiny room in the heart of the base and returned to the main house. Danny was fast asleep on the couch, his eyes clenched shut. 

Zim turned away. How in the blazes had he gotten thrown into such a predicament? How was it that the non-human ghost child had been dumped on _him_? He, the great Zim, now had to contend with yet another ploy to ruin this planet and steal the job he'd defended from planet jackers, Tak, and even Ultra Pipi, an over-sized hamster that had threatened destruction on a mass scale.

But lately, Zim's feelings had changed. He'd felt it earlier, in the ruins, but now the feelings came flooding into him at full force. He'd been here for so long... it was almost like... like...

_Home._

Zim mentally slapped himself. He was an invader! He didn't know feelings such as these! Amongst the mighty Irken race, in their conquest for power and glory, there was no place for feelings such as love, trust, and happiness. There was only supposed to be hate, greed, and lust for power, none of which he really felt right now. He didn't think he'd felt such dark emotions since wreaking havoc on his home planet.

Danny turned over and Zim dashed into the kitchen. He wasn't disguised, though he figured the boy suspected something. After all, he'd seen his pack at work, and it wasn't something any normal human could do. Not to mention he wasn't quite as ignorant as the rest of these pathetic humans. For the sake of removing discomfort, he donned his disguise and sat on the living room floor.

"Can't sleep, kiddo?" came Danny's voice from the couch. Zim crossed his arms.

"My superior body needs no rest," he replied, looking at the ceiling.

"Right," the older boy said, turning over and smirking. "So... what's on your mind?"

Zim looked at the floor, somewhat shamefully. "Nothing. I just wanted to... um... admire the ceiling," he said, not making eye contact. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Your dog," Danny said simply. Zim's skin visibly paled as he imagined the strange things GIR was doing... and it certainly made him nervous. Especially when there was a somewhat human guest in the house and GIR had a tendancy to destroy, make a mess of, or eat anything he could get his hands on.

"What... what did he do?" he asked cautiously.

Danny shrugged. "Sounded like he was devouring the whole fridge."

Zim let out a relieved sigh. "Well that's a relief." He shifted his eyes and thought hard, knowing this question would be awkward but needing to hear an answer. "Uh... can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

Zim took a deep breath "I... um... what's it... like... to have a home?"

Danny opened his mouth to answer, and was cut off by the ringing of the doorbell. A monitor came down before Zim, flashing with a number of symbols that Danny didn't care to take a guess at their meanings. The door seemed to vanish, and on the other side stood Dib. Grudgingly, Zim pressed one of the symbols and the door returned. The green dog bolted out of the kitchen, covered head-to-toe in melted ice cream, and threw open the door.

"DIB!" it screamed and pounced on the shocked boy. The fact that the dog was green wasn't nearly as strange as the fact that it was screaming at the boy at the door. Danny's mind was reeling from the nonsense it forced to swirl around in his brain. Zim's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and he bolted out the door.

"Gir! Get back here!" he shouted.

* * *

_"Sir, what has she orderer?"_

_"Increase productivity. I want that body finished within the week, or there will be hell to pay."_

_"Sir?"_

_"I want that little Irken boy. We can use him to our advantage, and if we are to succeed in our own little plans, we must have him. I sense something about him... some kind of... power. The Tallest seem to have over-looked this about the boy, and it is much to their loss. We will use him," he whispered. "Once we have the Irken Empire at its very knees, nothing will stand in our way. All we need is the power of the child... and the little ghost brat dead. She will take care of that. But before we can get to the little Irken boy, she must take care of the ghost brat, and she won't do that without her body."_

_The other man nodded. "I see, sir. We will work as fast as possible. If all goes well, it should only take a few more days."_

_Xanu nodded. "Very well, that is acceptable. You are dismissed."  
_

* * *

It took some doing to get Gir off of the fallen Dib, but at last, with the help of a plate of waffles, they managed it. Danny sat up to allow Dib some room to sit on the couch. It appeared that it was the only place Zim was going to let him sit, because every time Dib moved to get up, Zim's eye twitched. 

"So I did some research," Dib said at last, breaking the awkward silence. "And I found out something about the Amity Park disaster. It says there were almost no witnesses left alive, but a handful of people managed to escape. They have record of three of them. The others were just bodies that were never found, and it was assumed that they just skipped town. Look who's on the list," he said, a smile on his face. "Recognize any of these?"

Danny smiled broadly. "Yeah... '_Jack Fenton, Madison Fenton, Samantha Manson, Tucker Foley, John Lancer...'_ I know all of these people! '_Kwan Sang, Paulina Martinez, Jasmine Fenton...' _That means my family is alive! But... they... where are they?"

"Well, the only three people who made it out _and_ are documented are Paulina Martinez, John Lancer, and Jasmine Fenton. The rest are just kinda MIA."

Danny nodded. "Where's Jazz?" he asked, looking somewhat hopeful.

"Er..." Dib trailed off, his eyes mirroring his confusion.

"Jasmine. Where is she?" he clarified, feeling awkward for using her full name.

"Well... it says that she moved to a small town near Amity Park, just thirty miles east."

"And the others?"

"Paulina is living... wow, she's here in New York. John is... living in a nursing home, in a town ten miles south of Amity Park."

Danny nodded. "Okay, I think we need to talk to them. Find out what happened for sure, before we do anything else."

Zim sat off in a corner, his pack projecting a screen in front of him, to which he was speaking in hushed tones. Dib nodded in agreement. "Should we split up?"

Danny shook his head. "No, it's too risky. They've got to be looking for us, by now. We've got the weapon, and he wants it. I don't know what he'd do with it though. I think it only works with humans but I could be wrong. It's designed to tap into a nervous system, and I doubt aliens have quite the same systems as we do."

Zim laughed bitterly. "Irkens do," he muttered darkly. Dib shot him a glare, and the two stared daggers at one another for a few moments. Danny ignored it, and looked over the list.

"So they must have survived... I wonder where they all went to..." he whispered, his eyes lingering on one name in particular. At length he tore his blue orbs away and clapped his hands together once, his body seeming to ripple with purpose. "Alright, let's go nearest to farthest, to save on time. I can only get from place to place so fast. We'll talk to Paulina first," he said, grimacing as he imagined the sixty-seven year old Paulina. "Then we'll talk to Lancer, if he's still alive, and then we'll talk to Jazz."

Dib nodded. Zim was still paying close attention to his pack, now moving symbols around in the holographic projection and nodding in confirmation of his work.

"Dib, I need you to check one thing for me, though," Danny muttered. "I want you to do some research on Vlad Masters. And if he's dead, I want to know who's living in his castle."

Dib stared at him, and laughed. "Vlad Masters? Dead? Yeah right. He's only the richest man in the country, and he looks only about... oh, fifty." Danny's eyes went round.

* * *

"Hi, is Paulina home?" Danny asked, his hands behind his back as he tried to look like a civilized young man. The two behind him were giving no effort, since they didn't seem to care as much as the older boy. The man at the door nodded and waved them into the sitting room. 

"I'll go get her, she's probably still sleeping," he said, vanishing up the stairs. A few moments, he returned, with a very aged Paulina in tow. She walked stiffly, but was still just as pretty, even in her age. Danny looked away, hoping she didn't have a reaction to his presence... part of him even hoped she'd completely forgotten what he'd looked like.

She completed her descent and walked into the living room, where she got an eyeful of the once-thought-to-be-dead Danny Fenton. She was frozen... at least, until she tipped over backwards in a faint.

All four men gasped and rushed forward, but Danny was the quickest, catching her just before her head nailed the wood floor.

"Are you okay?" the man asked when she finally woke.

"Yes... yes... I am fine.. I just thought I saw..." she started, until she caught a glimpse of Danny once more. She screamed.

"Take it away! I'm hallucinating again!" she shouted, scooting back from him. Danny shook his head.

"This isn't a hallucination, Paulina. It's me. I came to ask you a few questions."

She stared at him skeptically. "My hallucinations don't talk..." she said to herself. "But fine. Ask your questions." She attempted to sit up, but the man lay a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Easy, mother. You're joints aren't what they used to be."

She batted his hand away and Zim snickered. It took every ounce of willpower to stop himself from talking about the frail human form.

Danny nodded. "Um... well I guess the first question is, what happened to Amity Park? And do you know what happened to my parents?"

She stared at him a moment. "I... um... let's see..." she said, her eyes glazed as she reminisced. "I remember your little girlfriend had something to do with it..."

_"Hey, where's your boyfriend, Danny?" Paulina called, looking as sultry as ever. Unfortunately, she didn't know she wasn't talking to Sam. Of course, if she'd looked into the goth-girl's eyes, she'd have seen it. Sam turned on her heal, her boots digging into the cement._

_"D-Danny?" she repeated. Her eyes were on fire. "Wretch..."_

_"What?"_

_For several minutes Sam said nothing. When she did speak, it was in a harsh voice that Paulina distantly remembered. "Do you like fire?" she asked._

_"Not really..."_

_"WELL TOO BAD!" she shrieked, thrusting out her palms. Two columns of fire blasted from them and just inches above Paulina's hair. The heat blistered her skin. She stumbled back and ran, running as fast as her legs would take her, but that wasn't enough. The buildings around her erupted in scorching white flames._

_"Leave me alone!" Paulina shouted, ducking into an alley and running around the corner of another building._

"I don't really know what happened after that. As soon as I got home, I got in my car and took off. I was scared..." she whispered. "She tried to kill me, and I don't even know why."

Danny was staring at her incredulously. "Er... are you sure this wasn't a dream? I'm pretty sure Sam-"

"It wasn't a dream!" she shrieked, tears now shining in her eyes. Danny put his hands up in a sign of surrender.

"Okay! Okay! Just asking... so what about my parents? Do you know what happened to them?"

She shook her head. "The only person I've seen from Amity Park since then has been Kwan."

"Thank you, ma'am for the information. We'll leave you alone now," Dib interjected, dragging Danny and Zim out the door.

As they walked, Zim pondered. "I don't think humans posses the ability to shoot fire from their hands..." he said, arching an eyebrow as he contemplated.

Danny shook his head. "They don't. Something's up, and we need to talk to Jazz A.S.A.P.," Danny whispered, slamming his fist into his open palm.

Dib nodded. Zim sighed loudly. "That woman wasn't very helpful," he muttered, crossing his arms. "In fact, I think it was a complete waste of time."

Danny shrugged. "Well, maybe it was, but at least she's alive. At least someone survived, and right now I don't really care about time. So long as they don't find us, we have all the time in the world."

Zim sighed. "I don't think we have as much time as you believe we do. The shifters aren't _just_ looking for us."

Danny wasn't really listening to Zim's last statement, as he'd pulled them into an empty alley and behind a dumpster, where he closed his eyes for a fraction of a second. Rings appeared around his waste and split, replacing the teen with a jumpsuit-wearing ghost. He grabbed their arms and the trio vanished into the pavement.

* * *

"Ughn!" 

"I asked you once, I will not ask again. Where did they go?"

"I don't know! They didn't tell me! They were just asking questions!"

"Don't lie to me!"

"I swear!"

"... very well then."

Paulina lay on the ground, her wrist broken and her legs twisted into odd angles. Her son lay on the ground a few feet away, his eyes staring into a misty, dark abyss. Tears streamed down the older woman's face as she stared into the lavender eyes of her attacker.

"S-Sam... why?"

She smiled, a dark, malicious smile that didn't suit the teen goth. "Why? There are plenty of reasons why. Because you didn't call when he showed up. Because you lied to me. He killed me, and for that he will pay. He knew what was going to happen, and they promised me that I would see him again. But I can't, because my _mother_ locked him away from me. She can't even see me. I can't see my father, either, but that isn't a great loss." By now, she was paced the floor, her delicate hands behind her back. "But that doesn't matter. Not anymore. I have a purpose now. I know what I am to do, what I exist to do. He could have torn me into oblivion, but he didn't. That was a mistake. And now... I will make sure to do to him what I promised to do on that night... March fifteenth..." she whispered, her eyes shimmering a deep and bloody red.

Paulina tried to drag herself to the couch with her one good arm. A boot came crushing down on her back. "Gah!" she shouted.

"But you broke your word. So for that... I should punish you... but I shall be merciful." She withdrew her leg, standing straight.

The older woman sighed and bowed in her gratitude. "Oh... thank... thank you..." she murmured.

"Instead of punishment, I will end your suffering," she said, almost lazily, as she raised a hand. Within her fingers there was a light...

And then there was nothing at all.

Sam turned on her heel and left the house. Around her the smoke touched the sky as the neighborhood burned to the ground.

"Where did you go... Danny Phantom..."


	7. Memories of the Elder

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

_Author's Notes: Yes, yes, another update, and sooner than I'd expected. Like I said, I'm attempting to speed things along to get to the on-the-edge-of-your-seat chapters. Also, I would like to give credit to the HALO novels for the idea of Zim rearranging symbols in the hologram, more specifically the Forerunner technology. Since I can't remember if they ever gave Mr. Lancer a first name, I made one up. IF someone knows otherwise, please let me know._

_Also, I'd like to give a short thank you to those who've been patient enough to keep up with me. Thanks.**  
**_

**Chapter Seven:**

**Memories of the Elder**

* * *

"So, who's next on the list?" Zim asked, somewhat disinterestedly, and mostly for the sake of breaking the awkward silence that surrounded the boys as they traveled like a mist through the city, unseen and unheard. He didn't exactly care who they were after, only that they get there quickly. He'd been tracking something following them since they'd arrived at the old woman's house earlier that morning, and it was rather unsettling. What was worse was that the other two didn't seem to notice the pillar of smoke rising from their previous destination. The fact that this happened to be the most crime-ridden city on the human dirt ball suggested that they'd grown used to it. Zim didn't care, so long as whatever was following them gave up soon. 

"Well, Lancer is closer, so why don't we give him a visit?" Dib said, looking at the list in his hand. Danny nodded, not daring to speak, lest he break his concentration and they find themselves only partially phased through a brick wall. "Alright then, let's get moving. I think, if we pick up the pace a little, we can be there within the hour."

Danny didn't say anything, though he did look a little disheartened by that statement. Zim was busy with a holopad, once more rearranging the symbols that Dib knew to be the Irken language. In any normal circumstance, he'd be trying to steal it, but these weren't normal circumstances and the fact that Zim _did_ have advanced technology would probably help them at some point in time or another. After all, this "Xanu" guy or whoever was threatening Zim's job, and the young Irken always took Earth's side when such a situation arose. So Dib wasn't really worried. More annoyed that Zim wasn't telling them what he was doing.

The green-skinned boy shot Dib a glance and rolled his blue eyes. "If you must know, I'm looking up some history. The shifters have a bad habit of trying to out-do the Irken Empire, but I have no clue why. This 'weapon' of ours probably had something to do with a plan of theirs to destroy the Armada. As far as I know, every attempt they've made has been a colossal failure."

Dib nodded. He didn't question the power of the Armada, especially since he'd seen the schematics for the Massive, and always made a point to stop Zim from bringing the ship to Earth. However, if the Armada could put a halt on the shifters plans, Dib wasn't going to argue.

"Hmmm... it appears that Xanu is no longer their King..." he muttered. "In fact, their new leader is _female_." He raised an eyebrow. "And she appears more or less human, even if her skin..." he said, trailing off as Danny swerved hard to the right. "The sooner we do something about this the better," he said. A metal appendage sprang from the pack, holding the crimson cuff. "And no matter what, we can't let them get _this._"

_Sacred Memories Nursing Home_, the sign read. Danny wasn't going to question how the already-balding, forty-something teacher had managed to live this long, but if he could give them the information they needed, then he wasn't going to ask questions. The receptionist was a blonde woman, hardly twenty-five. She looked up at them with a clueless smile, which Danny tried to ignore. "Hi there! Can I help you?"

"Yes, I wanted to visit John Lancer, please."

"Family?"

"Er..."

"Yes! We're his great grand kids!" Dib interjected, standing on his toes to see over the counter. Zim rolled his eyes. "I'm... James, and these are my cousins... Torque... and Greeny."

Zim shot Dib a scathing look, one that read "You'd better hope the shifters kill you before I do" if looks could speak.

"Well John never mentioned grandkids, but he doesn't really talk about his past much. Alright, I'll show you to his room."

She led them down the almost-too-white hallway and into another wing of the building. At last she stopped and rapped gently on the door. "John?" she called, opening the door to let the boys in. He was sitting in a chair, facing the window. "John, your great grandkids are here to see you."

"What? I don't have any..." he started, turning in his chair. His eyes fell on Danny, who was pleading him with his large blue orbs. Mr. Lancer's mouth was hanging open slightly. "I don't have anything... for them to eat," he finished at last. She smiled and backed out the door, leaving the four of them alone. He slowly got to his feet. He'd lost all of his hair and his skin was wrinkled. Danny tried not to look too shocked at the change.

"Mr. Fenton... and after all these years, we thought you were dead," he said quietly as he shut the door. Danny nodded silently, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "So what brings you here? I'm not going to ask the obvious question, 'what happened,' because I know you better than that, and I expect you will make up some far-fetched story to hide the truth."

Danny stared at his shoes, not uttering a sound, so Mr. Lancer went on. "I imagine you can here to ask _me_ some questions, then." He sat on the bed. "Go ahead, ask your questions. I will tell you what I know, and then, when you finish, you will let me ask _my_ questions. Fair?"

The teen smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that's fair." He looked up and took a deep breath. "I guess my first question is, what happened the night of the disaster? Where are my parents? And my friends, what happened to them?"

Lancer was quiet for several moments. "That night... let me go back... that was a long time ago for me, and the years have not been kind. Sadly, that is one night my ailing memory will not allow me to forget. Let me see... I was at home when it started, if I remember right..."

_It was quiet that night, a calm, gentle night sometime in mid-June. John sat in his recliner, reading the paper as he did every night, mostly for the sake of routine. He was lounging, a perfect night to do so, since he only had a few months until school began once more and he was forced again to pick up the old routine of paper-grading. A gentle breeze blew in through the window. _

_Only a few minutes passed before he smelled it, the unmistakable odor of burning wood and drywall. He bolted out of his chair and dashed to the door, throwing it open. What he saw made his jaw hang open with mingled shock and disbelief. The buildings down the street were each, in turn, going up in a pillar of white-hot flames that nearly touched the sky. "Lord of the Flies, what is going on?" he shouted. People were running, screaming, trying desperately to escape this terror. No one really knew who it was. _

_A cold, cackling laugh rang through the flames. One of several soon to follow, but this one was darking, more foreboding. And it came from a young girl, not more than seventeen..._

_There wasn't time to ponder why Sam was shooting flames from her hands. Something else was moving down the streets. They looked like men, but they most certainly weren't. Their leader, a man with jet-black hair was attacking anyone within range, anyone he could. Cold metal tendrils morphed from his hands and pierced his victims as he went. He ran on them, as well, but the fact that he was skewering people left and right was a bit more noticeable. _

_Lancer stepped back a pace to allow the large metal assault vehicle barrage past. That's when he realized that there was still hope for him to live, so he ran. He ran as fast as he could, and considering he was out of shape, it might have killed him before the tentacle-people did. His car was there... just ahead..._

_And then he heard something. Screaming in an alley. He paused to listen, but only for a moment, and only caught a few sentences of the shouted conversation._

_"No! I... I... please! I don't know where he is!" someone shouted, a young woman. He recognized her, but he was too intent on running to place her face with her voice._

_"Then you will tell me when he comes to find you! Swear it!"_

_"I..." was all he heard, because by now he was out of range. He kept running, until he ran right into his car. Lancer fumbled with the keys until at last he found the right one, jammed it into the lock, and threw open the door._

"I barely escaped, because that wasn't all that happened."

"What? What else could have possibly happened?"

"Oh trust me, there's more, Mr. Fenton..."

_"Guhn!" he gasped as his car came to a dead halt. "What was that...?" he breathed, and didn't have to look far to find out. His bumper was being held fast by the man, the leader of the tentacle-people. The man sneered. _

_"Human skewers... my favorite..." he whispered and moved forward, dragging his metal appendages back as he moved. Lancer slammed on the gas._

_"C'mon, c'mon! I don't want to be ka-bobbed!" he shouted at the gas pedal. _

_Something hit the back of his car, jarring him free. The tired squealed. In the rear-view mirror, there stood a boy, with dark skin and a red beret, waving him to go. And Lancer did._

_As the car sped down the highway, he said a silent thank you, and a memorial, for the boy that saved his life._

Danny was silent. "Tucker..." he whispered.

"Now it's my turn. My question to you is this: How is it that you, just a teenager, are able to stand before me, unharmed, unaged, and with no idea what happened to your own family?"

Danny stared at the floor. "I was... trapped. I don't really know why. I just know that... I have to find them. I have to do it soon, because if I don't, something terrible is going to happen to them."

* * *

"Mistress, what are your orders?" 

She was silent. "By now he's gone to see that senile old man. Before long he'll know, and we must stop him before he gets that far. He mustn't know of our plans. He mustn't know that his little girlfriend is being overshadowed by the very entity he tried to save her from."

He nodded. "Very well, mistress. What would you have us do?"

She started at him. "I want you to get rid of the sister. She'll know more than the others. The old man will have already told him everything he knows. So get rid of the girl, and we'll see what he does next. He's an unpredictable creature, so unlike the rest of these pathetic humans."

"He's not human, though."

"Exactly." She stared into the mirror. It wasn't Sam staring back, but a different woman, one with skin as white as snow and eyes as red as hell itself. She sighed. "And how is the progress on my body?"

"Coming along quite nicely. By our calculations, the body should be operational tomorrow evening."

She smiled. "Good. When I have united with my body, I want you to bring me the old man."

"Mistress?"

"Bring me the old man. The boy will come after him to try and save him. You can take the little Irken brat, and I will kill Daniel. Do what you want with the other little human boy."

He nodded. "You will keep your end of the bargain, won't you?"

"Yes, yes, but I can only grant you what you want when my body is completed."

"And the weapon?"

"Keep it, destroy it, do what you want with it, just be certain that Danny Phantom doesn't put it on. He's already quite powerful without it."

He nodded once again. "Very well. Is there anything else you wanted?"

She thought a moment. "No, that will be all. You are dismissed."

She was tired, so very tired. "My goodness, I am ready to be rid of this body..." she whispered.

Sam had remained dormant for fifty long years, pushed aside and forgotten, inside of her own body. She'd been no match for the other spirit that inhabited it. But at last, after over half a century, she felt something... a spark, when she heard Danny's name. Whatever had died inside her when Danny had vanished into the cold of the Ghost Zone had been revived.

_He's alive..._

* * *

"Where is she?" he snarled, holding the girl by the collar of her shirt. She giggled madly. He'd been interrogating her like this for so many years, did he think she'd suddenly change her mind and decide to tell him? 

"I told you," she said, smiling insanely. "I don't know. She never told me what she was going to do."

He threw her back into her cage and slammed the barred door on her, locking it. He floated into his sitting chamber and stared into the face of the grandfather clock. "That wretched little liar..." he whispered. Depravity had escaped only days after he'd imprisoned her here, and in truth, it had been a brilliant idea.

Part of the ancient was still here, sitting in her room. However, she'd somehow fractured her soul, sending a good portion of her evil, brilliance, and cruelty out into the world of mortals. Since she was still here, she was also allowed to leave. Nothing would stop her. And now she'd already obliterated a human city, amongst other things, such as making herself the ruler of an alien race and planning to destroy all mankind, but those were things he'd expected of her anyways.

But he couldn't find her. The mad little wretch in the cage had told her the secret to binding herself to a human body, and so he couldn't track her. He supposed if he ordered Malygrymm to follow the carnage, he'd find her. But he didn't. All that happened to be there was a mad little human girl who'd become drunk with power. Sadly, no one dared stand up to her.

Mobieus growled. What was he to do?

He got up once more. The part of Depravity that remained in the fortress wasn't telling him anything, just that soon, they would all die. That was the majority of whatever conversation niece and uncle ever had.

And Danny... he'd seen him only months ago, traveling through the ghost zone, putting order to its unruly inhabitants. If Depravity had wanted to kill him so badly, why hadn't she attacked him in the Ghost Zone? She'd have had a better chance here than anywhere else. But then, Mobieus didn't dare question the strange thoughts of his niece. After all, she was much like her father, the lord and master of Hell.

Again the question arose: What was he to do?

And it occurred to him: Find Daniel.

It had to be soon, lest the twisted ancient find the half-ghost first.

* * *

The boys walked through the streets of the small town. They'd never really bothered finding out its name, since they wouldn't be staying very long. Danny's mind was realing. Tucker? But... hadn't the records said that he'd never been found? Maybe they'd incinerated him... 

"So... how about that story?" Dib said, shattering Danny's concentration. He shrugged.

_"You have to hurry, Daniel. They're coming, I know it. They'll look for her, first, so you have to hurry. Time is running short, and before long, you may not even get to speak with Ms. Jasmine..."_

"Let's move," he said, pulling them into an alley. The three boys vanished.


	8. The Strangest of Family Reunions

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

**Chapter Eight:**

**The Strangest of Family Reunions  
**

* * *

Zim grumbled. Were they never going to notice that they were being pursued? Because he most certainly had no intention of meeting the same fate as the pathetic old woman almost certainly had if her home was the location of the raging inferno. The Irken crossed his arms in almost a pout-like gesture. Dib glared at him, and Danny wasn't really paying attention. The not-human ghost-child was almost always preoccupied with something. He always had a day-dreamy look about him, or he was constantly worried. Zim wasn't sure which, he still couldn't read humans very well. 

Danny paused in the middle of an open field to take a breather. They'd been flying like this all day, and he was exhausted to be sure. The rings swept over him and he sat in the grass, staring up at the mid-day sky. For once, it was calm. It seemed that the only place they'd find calm was in the middle of nowhere. Danny still didn't know what he was going on. Who was the shifters' new leader? And why a woman? He couldn't remember any female shifters... but then again, he'd only seen Xanu and his ilk. Something didn't sit well with Danny, and there was no telling what it was. For all he knew, it could just be this time he was in. Somehow, he doubted that.

The moment Dib reached solid ground he whipped out his laptop. "Okay, so I'm going to check the news and see if there's anything weird going on that we should know about," he said while he typed. Images flashed onto the screen as a news reel played before them.

"_This just in! New York is in turmoil! Fires and demolitions going off everywhere! Police suspect terrorism, so we go live to the scene with Jim Hansette. Jim._"

"_Thank you Lisa. All is in chaos in this once-quite suburban neighborhood. We have a witness here who claims to have seen the whole thing. Tell us, miss, do you remember who did this?_"

Danny's eyes went round as the camera panned over to fix on a girl, about his age, with raven hair and lavender eyes. His jaw was hanging open.

The girl nodded. "_They were these... men. But I don't think they were men, they were more like machines,_" she told the camera. Her voice didn't sound like her own, but Danny didn't notice. All he noticed was that she was alive. He didn't care about the rest.

"More like machines..." Zim muttered, his eyes to the sky in concentration. "That must mean... Xanu!" he shouted, pounding a fist into his open palm. Danny jumped.

"Sam! We have to find her! Xanu might recognize her and-"

"Wait a minute!" Dib shouted, cutting Danny's sentence off. "We can't just turn around and run back. They're after Jasmine, too. We can't just abandon one for the other, so I have an idea. I think it'd be best if the two of you went after Jazz. If this is what I think it is, they'll be hunting her down next. I'll see if I can find... what was her name again?"

"Sam."

"Yeah. I'll see if I can't find Sam. If possible, try and bring your sister to Amity Park. They won't be looking for us there. I'll bring Sam."

Danny opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced when Zim tried to drag him to his feet. He sighed. "Fine. But hurry, okay?"

* * *

"Do you think he took the bait, mistress?" 

"That pathetic little boy is in love with my host. I'm sure he did." Her eyes snapped away from reality as the memories flashed before them, making then burn brighter and brigher...

_Danny screamed and clutched his head, and dropped out of the sky. He reverted partway down._

_"Danny!" Sam screamed and ran at him._

_Too late._

_He hit the ground with a great crash, flat on his back, and two wisps of smoke shot out of his mouth. Depravity rematerialized out of one, while the other remained nothing more than a wisp. Depravity looked over Danny. A trickle of blood leaked from his mouth as Sam knelt down beside him. He coughed, opened his eyes, and groaned._

_"Ow...that hurt..."_

_She smiled and hugged him tightly. His ribs, still cracked, flared with pain._

_"SAM!"_

_She jumped back. "Sorry..."_

_Danny rolled over and got to his knees, massaging his fractured ribs._

_Depravity's eyes lit up with fire again. "DIE DAMN IT DIE!" she shrieked. Danny's instincts flared and he kicked his foot hard into the ground, grabbing Sam and flying backwards into the air before a streak of lightening smashed into the ground where he'd been just seconds before. He landed neatly on the ground, staring at the molten rock that sat where he had.  
_

"Little brat..." she snarled. She had seen the bond between them, the one that caused the girl to protect the half-breed. It made her more than angry. It made her absolutely furious, because of what she had been denied, because of how she had been lied to and betrayed by her brothers and sisters, and even Mother herself.

"How is the production of my new body?"

"Nearly complete. It should be done within the next few hours."

"Excellent...

* * *

The town was certainly small. If Dib hadn't located it using a satellite, Danny might have never even known that it existed. That was good, since Xanu wouldn't be able to track them so quickly, this time. He didn't know what had become of Paulina, but he hoped that at least she was still alive. 

Zim was a little less anxious, as well. They were no longer being followed, so either their stalker had lost their trail or had given up. That was good, because he had no intention of being killed on this filthy planet. The town they were in didn't bother him as much as the bigger city, and that was just fine by him.

Danny took the fact that no one was running for their lives as a sign that Xanu hadn't been here. So he walked into the nearest shop to ask directions.

"Excuse me I'm looking for... erm... a Jasmine?" he said, unsure if she'd been married or not.

"Ya mean Dr. West?" the old man asked, leaning on the counter. He smiled kindly. "You related? Ya look like a grandkid o' the ol' Fenton man," he said.

Danny nodded. "Dr. West? Where is she?" he asked, now looking hopeful. The man pointed to a rather large house, one with metal plating and a rather familiar-looking ops center on the roof that was just down the road. He thanked the man and left, Zim closed behind and once again playing with the holo-projector.

"As far as I can tell, we only have a few hours before Xanu picks up our trail again," he mumbled, moving around the symbols. Danny nodded as they drew up to the house. Nervously, cautiously, he knocked on the door. Nothing happened, so Danny turned to walk away from the door.

It creaked open, revealing a somewhat older-looking woman standing there, her piercing turquoise eyes sweeping over the uncertain teen. Her red hair, littered with streaks of gray, was pulled into a tight bun, and a pair of glasses sat upon her nose. "Can I help you?" she asked, an eyebrow arched. He froze, shooting a glance at his green-skinned companion. Slowly he turned on his heal. She stared at him a few moments more...

And then she tipped backwards, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Jazz!"

* * *

When she awoke, she was laying on the couch. In the chair beside her was Danny, looking somewhat worried. The look vanished when he saw her come to. "Jazz, are you okay?" he asked, getting to his feet. She nodded, touching her fingers to her forehead. 

"Are you a ghost?" she said at last. He shook his head.

"No. I'm really here... Jazz, what happened? I have to know what happened to mom and dad!"

"Sweetheart, we're right here," came a voice from around him. He whirled around.

"Mom? Mom, where are you?"

Jazz chuckled. "You aren't going to find them with your eyes," she said, sitting up slowly. "You probably have more questions than we do, considering the state you're in."

He nodded. "I have to know what happened. What happened after I went into the Ghost Zone? What happened to Tucker and Sam?" he asked, all too quickly, for he was out of breath by the end of the sentence. Jazz smiled sadly and stood from the couch, walking a few paces to stand before the mantle and press a gentle hand to an old family photo.

"It was so heartbreaking when we heard that gunshot..."

_"DANNY! NO!" Maddie screamed. Jack had already wrestled his assailants to the ground, holding them there with his great bulk. It was one of the rare occasions that Jack acted upon raw instinct to get his family out of a bind. _

_"Security!" he shouted, and the laser turrets descended from the ceiling, taking aim at any bio-signatures they didn't recognize. The men in black stood, their hands in the air, and Jack pulled his wife to her feet. She struggled to try to get into the basement, but Jack pulled her outside and into the RV. "Maddie, you have to stay here. I'll go look for Danny and Jazz, alright?" he said, holding her fast by the shoulders. She nodded weakly, and he rushed back in the door._

_Jazz was upstairs, fighting off her captor. He was whipping at her with his metal tendrils, trying to take her down again. She was brandishing the Jack-o-nine-tails, whipping the creature back. "Back! I mean it!" she snarled. _

_With immense force Jack crashed into it, ramming his shoulder into the monster and sending it crashing out a nearby window. He grabbed his daughter's hand and dragged her out, placing her beside her mother before running straight back into the house. He barreled down the hall and into the kitchen, through the basement door, and into the lab._

_It was empty. There was the slightest of blood spatters on the wall, but there was nothing else. No signs of a struggle, no blood on the ground, nothing. Jack was perplexed, to say the very least, but the lack of destruction in his lab gave him the tiniest spark of hope. Danny most certainly would have put up a struggle..._

_Something caught his eye: the blinking light on the Ghost Portal console. He neared it, peering at the light. Pressing a few buttons, data came up on the screen beside the console, telling him that his son may very well be still alive. And something else, as well, caught his attention, or at least, the lack of something. The weapon was gone. He had a feeling that if that man... whatever his name was, had gotten his hands on it, they might still not be alive._

_A smile cracked across his face and he ran back up the stairs, barreling out the door. He pulled the others into the Fenton RV and he gassed it, gunning it down the street. They bolted past Mr. Lancer, who was running for his own car. Jazz peered out the window and saw Sam threatening Paulina, but she wasn't really going to question that. Sam had always hated her._

_Without another glance back they rushed out onto the open highway and away from the place they once called home._

Danny nodded silently, staring at the ground. These stories all had a common link, he knew they did... but he wasn't sure just what that link was. If anything, Jazz's account had done little more than cause even more questions to circle around in his mind. He took a steadying breath and said, "Okay... so... what happened to Sam and Tucker? You mentioned Sam... do you know where she went?"

Jazz shook her head slowly, turning and folding her arms across her chest. "No. After I saw her in the alley, I never saw her again."

"What about Tuck?"

Again she shook her head. "When Dad dragged me outside, I saw Tucker run by after Sam. She'd run out the back door. I'm not sure what happened to him after that. You'd have to ask Sam that, if she's still alive."

"You know, Jazz, he might have some answers for us, too," came the voice of his mother again, seemingly from the walls. Danny jumped.

"Okay, explain that, would you?" he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. Zim sat nearby, inspecting a panel on the wall, paying no attention to the humans in the room.

"Mom, Dad, say hello," his older sister said, and their voices echoed through the house.

"I know you're confused, sweetie-"

"Danny! It's good to see ya in such good health! How'd ya do it, son?"

"We'll explain everything-"

"Seen any ghosts lately?"

Danny clapped his hands over his ears. "Jazz!"

"Alright! Mom, Dad, that's enough for now. I think he gets some of the point."

"Not really."

She sighed and walked over to the panel in the wall. Zim scurried to the side, hiding on the other side of Danny as she punched in the code. A giant crease formed in the wall and it split, revealing another wall, this one made of glass and housing something that made Danny's jaw nearly hit the ground. In the room on the other side of the glass were two people, each of them rather old, laying side-by-side on their beds. Tubes and wires were connected and crossed every which way, all connecting to the panel in the wall. Danny covered his mouth.

"Mom... Dad..." he whispered, pressing is free hand to the glass. "What happened to them?"

"Age," Jazz replied, folding her hands behind her back. "But they weren't ready to leave. Dad said he wasn't going to pass away until he saw you again with his own eyes. I told him that was a silly request, but I did as he asked. Guess he knew what he was talking about."

Danny nodded wordlessly. "They... can't go yet. I still have so much to do..." he muttered after a long time of silence. Jazz looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I can't let them go. Not yet. Xanu... I don't know how, but he could sense it when I came back from the Ghost Zone. He found me there, and we've been trying to get away from him ever since," he said, motioning to Zim, who Jazz seemed to just now notice. Zim shrank in her gaze like a snail under salt. She moved her eyes back to her younger brother.

"I don't know how he'd have sensed you..." she mused, tapping her chin with her index finger as she thought. "Danny, I think you owe us an explanation. What happened to you down there? Why are you still like this?"

He took a deep breath. "When he shot me..." he started, gesturing to the jagged scar in his left arm, "I really didn't have anywhere else to go. So I grabbed the cuff and went into the Ghost Zone and shut the door behind me. He couldn't follow, I don't know why. I think it has something to do with the fact that he doesn't have a bio-signature like people do. He's part machine. Anyways, when I got there, I just went ghost and stayed that way. I guess my ghost half doesn't age unless my human half does... so since I was a ghost for fifty years, I didn't get any older. Or it could have been the Ghost Zone." He shrugged. Jazz nodded and crossed the room once more.

She opened her mouth to speak, just as someone began to bang on the door. "Dr. West!" a man shouted and she threw open the door.

"What is it?"

"These... things! They're here, looking for you! You have to get away!" he said, glancing around nervously. Zim and Danny exchanged identical looks, both knowing who it was looking for her. Danny placed a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"Look, get mom and dad and get out of here. We'll follow when we can, okay?" he said, a half-smile crossing his face.

She opened her mouth to protest and then nodded. "I'll lock the house down. Our parents can't be moved yet, they aren't stable enough to be transported. But you've only got until tomorrow morning, so hurry and get rid of them. We'll be waiting for you." She paused and then moved across the room, pulling her brother into a tight hug. He was shocked at first, and then returned the gesture, patting his sister on the back. "We're counting on you, little brother." She let him go, and pushed him towards the door. "Got it?"

He smiled and nodded, turning to walk out the door. This was it, he knew, and if he failed now, the weight of his parents' and his sister's deaths would weigh on him for the rest of his natural- and the rest of his unnatural -life. So it was simple what he had to do.

Xanu had to go down, here and now.

* * *

It took some doing for Dib to persuade the bus driver to take him clear to New York, but after his speech of world salvation, the grumpy old woman finally, reluctantly, allowed him aboard. The trip only took a few hours, but the entire time Dib stared out the window nervously, secretly praying in his mind that Xanu hadn't located Danny's friend. By now, the man-machine alien had found them, and the paranormal investigator could only hope that the pair would hold out against the evil man. 

The trip was shorter than Dib had anticipated, and he bolted out, running down the streets as fast as his legs would carry him. It took some doing to locate her, but he did it, with the help of satellite imaging and the built-in GPS he'd installed in his laptop.

It was most certainly a run-down building, but if she was here, he wasn't going to complain.

"Sam?" he called, moving through the debris. He couldn't see anyone, much less where he was walking, but he could hear something. Someone was speaking quietly, but no one was responding. It struck him as odd...

"Sam?" he called again, and this time the whispering stopped. A face peered around a corner, white and eerie with an expression of slight anger, and making Dib jump and nearly scream, taking a combat stance as if he were being attacked. The rest of her body emerged, and he saw that it was just a girl, with raven hair and lavender eyes.

"Are you Sam?"


	9. Of Men and Monsters

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

**Chapter Nine**

**Of Men and Monsters**

* * *

"Are you Sam?" he asked, coming closer to the girl. She certainly _looked_ like Sam... 

She nodded. "How did you find me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. And it was a legitimate question on her part. Depravity didn't think she could be tracked down so easily. It was no matter. Once she finished extracting knowledge from this... boy... she'd dispose of him. It might even be fun, given the fact that he was still but a child.

_NO!_ Sam screamed in her mind. She had no control of her body, no say in any of the horrific actions this evil thing had done. But they were still sharing this body, so she tried everything in her power to give Depravity hell while she did the terrible things she had. _DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM!_

Sam's eye twitched, as though she were hearing something incredibly loud right next to her ear. Dib raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, fine..." she said, lowering her gaze. "Just a little headache, is all."

Dib nodded, trying to ignore the malice laced in her voice. It wasn't right, and he knew it, so he went on asking questions.

"So... um... I need to ask you a few questions about the Amity Park disaster," he said, opening his laptop and sitting on the ground. She sat on a nearby crate and nodded. "What happened that night? I want to know your side of the story." As he spoke, something flashed onto his screen, a letter of some kind that was clearly not written in English. Fortunately for Dib, he knew what it was, and had downloaded the schematics for the translator from Zim's computer long ago. The letters rearranged themselves, forming a message that was unmistakably from Zim.

_DIB: THE JASMINE GIRL SAYS THAT THE LAST TIME SHE SAW SAM WAS WHEN SHE WAS THREATING THE PAULINA GIRL, AND THE TUCKER PERSON IS STILL MISSING. EXTRACT WHAT INFORMATION YOU CAN AND RETURN HERE ASAP. RED ALERT._

Dib nodded to the computer, then turned his attention back to the girl sitting on the crate. "Yeah, anyways, tell me what happened the night of the disaster."

She was silent for awhile. "Well..." she muttered, racking her brain. "When... I... saw Danny leave... I left, and ran out with the others," she said slowly, her eyes shifting as she spoke. "And... then I... don't really know... I guess being around ghosts so long stopped my... aging..."

Dib stared at her, glancing at the computer screen and back to Sam. "Um... but... Sam, the others said you didn't leave with them, and that you threatened Paulina before they left."

She stared for a few minutes, while in her head, Sam was screaming. _DUH! Now get her out of me!_

She narrowed her eyes and stood, walking over to the younger boy and swiping his laptop out of his hands. Her eyes blazed red as she stared down at him, contempt laced in her dark gaze. "You've already meddled far too much," she snarled, picking him up by the front of his shirt. "Now, tell me where that little wretch is hiding. And if you don't start talking, I'm going to rip your tongue so you'll never talk again."

"What's wrong with you?" he shouted at her, kicking his legs. "Danny said you're his friend!"

"Sam is, not I. She's been a useful host."

"Host? You mean... you're possessing her?" he asked, shocked. She laughed, high and cold.

"You might say that. She's the perfect host. She's smart, she's strong, and most of all, she's close to that little wretch. I had been expecting him to come after me, but I was wrong. Why, little boy, did you come after me instead?"

"I told him that he had to find Jasmine first, that it was more important that he got to his sister before Xanu did. I was right, too, since they found her anyways, and you'd have killed him if he came here," he said, glaring at her. "So your stupid little plan has been ruined."

Again she laughed. "Oh you have no idea who I am, do you? I suppose since I'm going to kill you anyways, I may as well tell you, so you can at least go to hell, knowing who it was that sent you there. Tell me, child, have you ever heard of a deity named Depravity?"

Dib remained silent for a moment. "There was a story I read, once, about something that happened fifty years ago. A dark... evil creature, who called itself Depravity, tried to destroy this world and everything in it. Depravity was stopped by a kid who was only sixteen, and called himself... Danny... Phantom..." he said, his eyes lighting up with sudden realization. "You... you're Depravity! And you're out for revenge!"

"Very good, little boy," she hissed, her fingernails digging into his skin. "He destroyed me... he _killed_ me, and promised to reunite me with the one I used to love. But no more. Phantom is dead to me, along with my useless Mother and the rest of my siblings. They've all betrayed me for the last time," Depravity snarled. "There's nowhere Danny Phantom can run. The little freak is going to die, this time, and his little girlfriend won't be there to help him this time. I don't think he'd acted exactly to kill me... but he did. And he showed no remorse for his actions..." she snarled, energy shooting through her hands and into Dib.

He screamed as the memories flooded into him...

_T__he smoke cleared. Danny was there, and so was Depravity, and Mother, as well. But one had come out unscathed. The other... had not been so fortunate. _

_Danny retracted his hand. His palm was still glowing from the intensity of the plasma that he had forced through Depravity's chest and heart. It had ripped through her and ravaged her insides._

_She dropped to her knees and put a hand to the wound. "You... you've killed me..." she whispered and fell forward._

"I didn't feel any pain, at first... but when it came, it came hard. You've never felt pain like this unless you've experienced having your heart literally blown to bits."

_Danny caught her._

_She coughed gently before looking up to Mother. Something was there in her eyes... but it was no longer hate. It was sudden realization. Because of all that she had done... she was going to go to hell. And that was the last place she wanted to live out eternity. He was waiting for her, and she didn't want to make him wait longer than he already had._

_To Danny's great surprise, Depravity started to cry._

"He never said a word to me while I lay there, dying. All he did was stare at me, waiting for me to take my last breath."

"Yeah, but he held you until you died! Doesn't that mean anything?"

"No, it doesn't. The boy sat there, waiting for me to die, staring at me while I bled all over the ground. Had he done something about it, something to ease my pain, perhaps I wouldn't be quite so vengeful."

_"I don't... I don't want to live in hell... I want to see him again!" she sobbed into his shirt. Danny, unsure what else to do, patted her shoulder. Mother was standing over them. Depravity looked into the light one's eyes. "Please... don't make me leave him again..." she pleaded. "I'm sorry..."_

_Danny's eyes went round and his eyebrows arched. She'd apologized? Depravity, the insane entity that had tried to kill him for no apparent reason?_

_Mother knelt down and stroked her hair. "I know, dearest. You just couldn't see it yourself."_

_Depravity wiped her eyes on Danny's shirt. "I... I want to come home... I only wanted to... to..."_

"Depravity, that's not an excuse!" Dib shouted, struggling again. "You're a monster! You killed hundreds of people for your stupid crusade and now you want revenge because someone stood up to you! That's just insane! You're insane!"

"SILENCE!" she bellowed, swinging him up and throwing him hard into the wall. "You have no idea what I've been through! You could never understand!" she snarled, balling her fist and bringing it down upon the helpless Dib.

* * *

"Xanu!" Danny shouted, walking down the street with his eyes set on his target. Xanu stood not more than thirty feet away, holding his impaled victim high above his head. He tossed the girl aside like a rag doll and began to laugh hysterically, clutching his sides as he did so. Danny stopped ten feet from him. Zim was behind his teenage counterpart, glaring at Xanu like he might the Dib-monkey in one of their feuds, only this one was much more fiery, and filled to the brim with pure loathing. "Leave this town, and it's people, alone." 

At last, the machine-man stopped laughing, wiping his eyes. "As amusing as ever, I see." His eyes gleamed with madness. "Boy, you can't fight me and hope to win. Although, why you are here is one question I would like to have answered, amongst others. No matter, I can always beat them out of you!" he snarled, his hands whipping out into sharp metal tendrils.

Danny's instincts kicked in and he leaped back, pushing Zim out of the way as he went. The metal spikes shot into the ground like a knife through butter. Danny changed mid-air, two rings sweeping over him. "I can still fight you and hope to stop you! Winning isn't my problem!" he shouted, landing in a crouch and thrusting out his hands. Two identical blasts of green energy shot from his palms and collided with Xanu. He was blasted backward, but caught himself.

"You're going to die, boy, here and now. I don't care what she says, I'm going to tear your head off." Another tendril shot out, this one quicker than the others. It struck, cutting a deep gash in Danny's left arm. He yelped, stumbling back.

Four metal spider legs shot out of Zim's pack, and from each a light connected them, forming a square. "You know, I'm still here, shifter, and Irken technology will always be greater than the shifters'," he said, a beam of blue plasma blasting from the legs and throwing Xanu into the ground. Xanu rolled back and up again, lashing out with a metal appendage.

Zim tried to dodge, but the speed was too much, and he was forced back by the impact of the tendril through his shoulder. "GAH!" he shouted, toppling over.

"NO!" Danny roared, blasting off the ground and ramming into Xanu. The two tumbled to the ground, wrestling for the upper hand. Flashes of green light mixed with steel whirled around them as they fought on the ground. Danny ended up on top, punching Xanu as hard as he could with his right fist, which was glowing blue with ice as he smashed his knuckles into the man on the ground over and over and over. Metal shot out and wrapped around the hybrid's wrist and lifted him, while another sharpened to move in and impale him.

At the last second Danny vanished, slipping out of Xanu's grip and leaping back. The alien's eyes went wide from the shock and he stumbled forward right into Danny's suddenly-materializing fist.

Zim got to his feet, his communicator emerging from his pack. "Gir! Come to Zim, now!"

"OKEY DOKEY!" came his response.

Danny leaped back, avoiding another swipe of sharpened metal, only to meet another as it sliced through his side. He gasped, his lungs suddenly frozen as the pain racked his body. Green oozed from the wound and he stumbled back. Xanu came at him, seven of the metal tendrils lashing around him like a chainsaw. It was all Danny could do to keep back, avoiding each blow carefully, and preparing a blow of his own...

And then he tripped, landing hard on his back. He threw up his hands and a shining green dome covered him. The metal smashed against it, raining down on it with blow after blow after blow, trying to pierce through the shield and impale the vulnerable ghost child within it. Danny struggled to hold the shield, groaning slightly at the force he was exerting.

"Boy, give up. You cannot win against my superiority!" Xanu shouted, pounding harder and harder against the shield. "GIVE UP!"

"NO!" Danny roared, sinking into the ground. The shield dissipated and Xanu stumbled forward. Danny reached up through the ground, grabbing hold of one of the tentacles and freezing it to the ground.

Four metal legs shot out of Zim's pack and pushed him up into the air while his pack sent nanobots to fix the wound in his shoulder. Well, that was certainly a drawback. In the distance he could hear the roar of rockets, unmistakably Gir as he blasted along the sky to find his master. Zim smiled slightly. If anyone could give Xanu hell, it was Gir. The little robot landed, and ran up to Zim, running around the Irken in circles.

"Master! Master! I FOUND YOU!" he shouted, grabbing Zim's leg.

"GIR! Listen carefully. I want you to go to that man over there and play with him," Zim said, pointing to Xanu as he spoke. Gir bounced up and down before blasting away from Zim and ramming into Xanu with the force of something three times his size. The ice broke, sending the pair to the ground. The little robot bounced on the man, screaming and dancing as he zapped around.

"I LIKE TAQUITOS!" he screamed, dancing around as he did.

Danny returned above ground and rematerialized beside Zim, eyebrows raised. "Um... is that..."

"My dog? Yes."

Danny didn't question it further, only nodded and watched as Xanu tried desperately to fight off the robot, disguised as a little green dog.

* * *

Dib rolled, narrowly avoiding the blow. Her fist broke through the wood and it splintered, sending shards of wood everywhere. He rolled to his feet and bolted, running as fast as he could to get away from this insane girl. "You're nuts!" he called back, dashing around the corner. 

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE WRETCH!" she shrieked, blitzing after him. "I'M GOING TO RIP YOU APART!"

Dib was out the door, sprinting down the sidewalk and knocking over anyone in his way in his rush to get as far away from Depravity as humanly possible. He was vaguely aware of bolts of plasma shooting past his head, but he tried to ignore it as best he could while he ran for his life. He never knew he could run so fast, but then he'd never been in mortal peril like this before. It took everything he had to keep running, despite the fact that he knew his body wouldn't be able to keep this up so long. Why, of all people, did Danny's friend have to be possessed by an insane, malevolent and vengeance-hungry ghost? And one of the most powerful in the afterlife, no less.

He dashed around another corner and into an alley, out of Depravity's view.

She walked down the alley silently, listening intently. Something hit the dumpster and she turned just in time to see the lid slam shut. With a sneer she approached it, and standing a few feet from it, she torched it with a volley of plasma. The dumpster lit up like a Christmas tree and then burst into flame.

She turned to leave when a beeping caught her attention. "What?" she hissed into the communicator she'd taken off her belt.

"_Mistress, your body is complete_."

"Good. I'll be there in fifteen minutes. I've just taken care of one of the three little rats. Summon Xanu, and have him meet us there."

"_Understood, ma'am._"

With that she left, walking down the alley, around the corner, and out of sight.

* * *

Xanu threw Gir off of himself and into Zim, who was barely able to remain on his feet (so to speak) as he caught the little robot. A beeping took Xanu's attention, and Danny dropped into a defensive position. 

"What is it?" he snarled into a communicator.

"_Sir, the mistress requires your presence. She wants to speak with you. And her body has been completed. She says to tell you that one of the three has been removed, and to leave the other two until after she unites with her new body. Also... she wants you to give the boy a message. She says to tell him..._"

"Very well," he growled, clipping the device to his belt again and turning to face Danny. "Looks like you made it off the hook this time, little boy, but it won't be so pleasant the next time we meet. Fare well, until then. Someone from your past is getting a brand new body. Oh... and she would like me to tell you: 'Little freak, this time I will tear out your heart.' Goodbye, ghost boy."

And with that he slipped out of sight, his shifters with him. Zim raised an eyebrow. "Huh? I don't get it," he said, looking at Danny.

But Danny did get it. His face had paled visibly and his stomach had done a flip. "Oh... shit..." he whispered. "We are so dead."

The rings appeared at his waist and swept over him, reverting him back to human form. Zim dropped Gir and landed on the ground, retracting the spider legs. "Well, what now?"

Danny shook his head. "We try and call Dib, and then go from there. Maybe he got some information from Sam that can help us."

Zim nodded and the communicator sprang from his pack. "Dib?" he said into it, staring at the static. "Hello? Anyone there?"

* * *

High above the burning dumpster, Dib sat silently on the fire escape, holding the end of the rope he'd tied to the lid. He'd hidden within the building, hoping she would be too busy torching the dumpster to look up. He'd been right, and she'd never noticed him. 

Just as he moved to climb back into the alley his watch beeped. "Hello?" he said, pressing the switch. Zim and Danny's faces appeared on the tiny screen. "Oh, good, you guys are okay. Any luck with Jasmine?"

"Kinda," Danny replied. "How about with Sam?"

"About that..." he said, trailing off. "Look, this isn't going to be easy to swallow, but Sam's..."

Danny felt his heart sink. _Oh god... she's dead..._

"Been... er... possessed." Danny's eyes lit up. "By some ghost named Depravity." And then they dimmed again.

"So she really is back. Shit. Okay... she's getting a new body. We've got to get to her before she does, or she's going to kill Sam."

Dib nodded. "They've got to be here in this city somewhere. I found her in this warehouse. We should start there."

"Stay low for awhile, or at least until we get there. I'm pretty sure they think you're dead, so that's somewhat of an advantage. We'll get there as soon as we can."

* * *

"Jazz! I will be fine!"

"Danny, no matter what you say, you aren't leaving without some kind of protection."

"I beat her before, I know I can do it again."

"Argue all you want, you're taking these!"

"Fine!"

The siblings had been arguing this point for the last fifteen minutes, and finally Danny gave in. Jazz was handing him weapon after weapon, many of them similar in design to the weapons his parents had made. He didn't mind, that just meant they'd be more familiar to work with. One thing he noticed that hadn't changed was the thermos, for which he was grateful. She piled everything into an empty backpack and handed it to him before pulling her brother into a tight hug.

"Danny, if you get rid of her..."

"_When_ I get rid of her."

"Right. When you get rid of her, come back here. Alright? We're counting on you, little brother."

He nodded and turned, rings sweeping over him as he leaped off the front porch, holding tightly to Zim's arm, and blasting off into the distance.

"Be careful, little brother..."

* * *

"Xanu... I believe it is time to free my fellow captives within the fortress of time. Ready a team of men and prepare to storm the fortress. Once we release them, our plans will be nearly complete."

He bowed deeply to her. "Yes, mistress."


	10. Released

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

_Author's Notes: Sorry about the accident. There was a slight glitch in the system and the chapter was uploaded when I was trying to make adjustments to chapter four. Again, sorry about the inconvenience. Alright, now that that's out of the way, here we have yet another chapter of "Invasion." Enjoy.**  
**_

**Chapter Ten:**

**Released**

* * *

Mobieus didn't care for the observants, but they did have their uses, such as locating a hybrid ghost child in the middle of the world of men while he was being tracked and possibly beaten senseless by some strange evil from the stars. And so for the first time, Mobieus went to the observants and asked for their help. The suddenness of it shocked them, and made them ultimately question his sanity, as he was usually ill-receptive to their presence, but they complied with his wishes none the less. The tower of watchers, as it was called through the Ghost Zone, was a great tower with hundreds of thousands of rooms. Within the rooms were mirrors, each of them focused on one person until that person expired. Most of these people were somewhat important in the makings of history, which was why they were observed by these ghostly watchers. Men like Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein, even Charles Manson had mirrors of their own. 

The mirrors differed in design, depending on their focus. Nazi memorabilia littered Himmler's, symbols and computer chips covered Bill Gates', and around Shakespeare's was bits of costumes and play scripts. These rooms in this tower climbed to reach the very sky (if the Ghost Zone had a sky) in thousands of floors. But there was one mirror that stood alone, unique even against the rest of them. It was at the top of the tower, in a room of its own. It was adorned with blazing emblems and was rimmed in black, green, and silver. This mirror showed someone who very few knew to even be associated with the threads of history, because until he was sixteen, no one even knew how much of a hero he had grown to be.

Mobieus followed the observants to the top of this tower and into the topmost room, where he was at last able to gaze into the mirror whose focus happened to be the very child he was trying to find. Where he was, the master of time didn't know, but it wouldn't be hard to find out. He watched for a few moments as Danny fought against this strange space menace with the little green boy at his side, and how the shifter suddenly left. It was perplexing, to say the least, but he figured he knew why the monster had just suddenly run off. Danny then reverted and spoke to the green boy and then the sister before the two left, soaring through the sky. Well, it was safe to say that they were in Minnesota, somewhere to the east. He noticed the little Irken was riding a dog through the sky, and though this was certainly strange, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

He left the Tower of Watchers without a word to the observants, which convinced them that he was just being his usual introverted self, and he returned to the Fortress of time.

And that was when the front door was blown off its hinges.

* * *

"Okay, so she's angry at you for killing her..." Zim repeated, still confused. "How is she still angry with you if she's dead?" he asked, holding onto Gir's ears as they increased their speed. Danny wasn't going to ask why Zim's dog had rockets in his feet, mostly because he had a pretty good idea why, and partly because he didn't want to create any unwanted tension in their already-tense situation. 

"Don't you remember what I told you? There is more than one dimension. I guess Depravity somehow got sent to the Ghost Zone and then found her way out again. C'mon, we really have to hurry. There's not much time left, and I think as soon as she's done with her, she's going to kill Sam. I can't let that happen. It's already happened once."

Though the sheer mechanics of what Danny was talking about were nearly impossible to wrap his mind around, Zim tried to understand it. He supposed that being from Irk, where such things didn't seem to exist, had something to do with his lack of knowledge about such a strange thing. None the less, he listened.

"WEENIES!" Gir screeched, sticking his tongue out. Zim rolled his eyes and sighed.

* * *

"This way, mistress," Xanu said, bowing and directing her into a dark room. She entered, peering around, trying to penetrate this darkness. Lights flashed on. The room she found herself in was a lab, quite enormous and filled with an assortment of strange devices. And in the middle of the room lay something that made a dark smile cross her violet lips. She approached it, running a delicate finger along the perfect contours, admiring how well crafted it was. She turned to Xanu. 

"You've done well," she said, smiling. "Once I merge with this body, you will have what I promised you: power. It will all be yours. When I leave this body, take it to a holding cell until I'm capable of full movement. I will speak to her, and dispose of her, myself."

He nodded in compliance and stood back, waiting. "Oh, and one more thing. Before I can make a full unity, I need the fraction of my soul that is still housed in the fortress of time, deep in the Ghost Zone. Fetch it for me, and bring the prisoners here. Once I'm merged, you will have all the power you could ever dream of, and more once you gain this weapon you covet so zealously."

Again he nodded and turned, snapping his fingers and ordering ten of his finest soldiers along with him. "Let's go, so we can be back for my power. I want to use it against the Irken brat." They followed silently, moving across the warehouse in a deadly formation and moving out into the dark.

* * *

Miriana sighed and leaned against the side of her cage. Depravity hadn't returned in such a long time... and since time didn't flow normally here in the Ghost Zone, she didn't know how long it'd been. At least, not in human terms. She sat there, muttering madly to herself, and occasionally to Dan, who merely cackled darkly every so often, and after awhile she grew oh so tired of the silence that she began to scream to make it louder. Each time she was silenced by an angry Clockwork, and each time she found herself saddened again by the silence. 

And then something happened. An explosion rocked the fortress and she bolted to her feet, grabbing the bars and jumping gleefully in her cage. "Yay!" she shouted, banging on the bars. "Someone's come to say hi!"

Meanwhile, in the front room, Mobieus had his hands full. There were hundreds of them, and though he was the master of time, it was rather difficult to fight them all at once, especially when one of them had gotten ahold of his time medallions. The battle was intense, and many shifters fell to the might of the Lord of Time, but it was all in vain. Xanu himself had entered the fray.

"It's an honor to meet you at last, Clockwork," he said, clashing with Mobieus as the two battled for supremacy.

"The pleasure is all yours," he said, taking a step back and swinging the scythe around that he'd taken from one of the statues. It clinked against the force of the metal whips extending from Xanu's hand.

"We came to collect something for our mistress, I'm sure you know her."

"My niece, I presume. Yes, I know her, and she must return here immediately."

"But, Clockwork, that is somewhat of a problem. I want my power, and she's going to give it to me."

"Fool. You have no idea that you're being used. She's not going to follow through with that promise. She's going to kill you."

"Liar. I know what you're doing, and I shall not fall for it." He leaped back and turned, forcing up his arm and sending the metal tendril up, aiming for Mobieus' head. He ducked, bringing the scythe around.

"Sir! We've got them!" someone shouted from the hall.

He smirked and dashed back, pressing down the medallion so that it wouldn't smack against his chest as he ran. Mobieus dashed after him, trying to stop him from leaving the fortress. Ahead were Xanu's men, holding up the cage, the suspended animation sphere, and the thermos.

"Let's go!" he shouted, and they vanished, leaving Mobieus alone in the fortress. He cursed and floated back to the main chamber, where he turned to face the mirror.

"Danny Phantom..." he breathed, and upon the mirror Danny's face swam into view. "Dear boy, your fate is an uncertain one... I fear you may not triumph in this battle..." he whispered, and looked forward, prodding into the paths of time. As he watched, he smiled as flashes flitted across the mirror. Danny, the irken, a battle between his three escaped prisoners and the three boys, Depravity fighting the goth girl... and then the final flash, which caused the smile to widen across Mobieus' face.

"Time has sealed your fate."

* * *

Depravity smiled as Xanu entered the room, followed by men carrying the prisons of her fellow outcasts. She clapped her hands once and chuckled softly. "Ah, you've brought them! Wonderful, wonderful," she whispered, then ran a finger along the bars of Miriana's cage. "We'll release you once I'm reunited with my soul fraction and my new body," she said to her, and turned to the fractured portion of her soul. The two joined and Sam's body glowed for a moment before Depravity began to laugh hysterically. 

Once the glow had subsided, she moved across the room, standing beside the table where her new body lay. "This time, it won't be so easy to kill me."

She closed her eyes and Sam once more began to glow, but this time it was with a sinister light instead of the warm glow of a soul. From her mouth Depravity was issued until at last the ghost of the Ancient stood fully before them. The goth girl crumpled and fell to the ground. Depravity climbed upon the table and lay in the body, closing her eyes and her soul began attaching itself to the metal shell.

Sparks flew and the lights exploded around them. The shifters shivered, looking around with fear, all save for Xanu, who was staring at Depravity as though in a trance.

From the floor Sam's eyes snapped open as her soul regained control of her body. She scrambled back, pressing up against the wall, her lavender eyes lit up with fear. And then she felt something on her hand...

In a blinding flare of fire Depravity's eyes opened and she sat up, stretching. "At last..." she hissed, her blazing red eyes scanning the room. She slid off the table and stared at her hands, morphing her hands into sharp daggers and then back again. "Perfect." She closed her eyes a moment and then garments seemed to form on her body, purple, and her hair grew back, red and black and cut short. At last she opened her eyes and then put her hands at her sides, staring around the room. She moved to the cage, taking the lock in her hand and crushing it. The door swung forward and Miriana slithered out.

"FREE!" she shrieked and bounced happily around the room. A instant later the animation field surrounding Jaston was lowered, and he floated to the ground, his eyes fluttering open. Nearby, a flash of light erupted from the thermos and a high cackle echoed through the room, which was immediately silenced as Depravity grabbed Danny's dark older incarnation and slammed him into a wall.

"I'll tell you right now, Dan Phantom, I'll not tolerate you obliterating this room. I shall command you until you are clear of this city, understand?" she snarled, the thermos still in her hand. He eyed it warily, and then at last, grudgingly, reluctantly, he nodded.

Jaston got to his feet. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Depravity," he said, giving her a sweeping bow. She raised her eyebrow.

"Psychic," Miriana said simply, crossing her arms. Depravity nodded.

"Excellent. I have a job for the three of you, but first, I have some business to attend to with the good shifter here," she said, motioning to Xanu. He smiled as she escorted him from the room. "I've got something special for you..." she hissed, her eyes flaring brightly in the darkness.

* * *

Danny could see his breath. Something had happened, and he had a bad feeling he knew exactly what that something was. He blasted forward, making Gir hard-pressed to catch up. The little robot managed it, all while singing strange songs that made no sense and shouting out random phrases like a child with tourette's. Danny's eyes were fixed, and his blood boiling. They were close, he could almost smell it. 

Dib waited for them in their designated meeting place, hiding behind the dumpster and peering around the corner every so often to see if he were being watched. The trio slipped into the abandoned building and sat huddled in a circle, where two rings of light flashed around Danny and reverted him as he sat down on the floor.

"Okay, so our first place that we need to look is that warehouse. I have a feeling she's still there, and that the reason she 'killed' me was because she didn't want me to tell you where she's hiding." Danny nodded. "So I say we go quietly, so they won't know we're coming."

"Leave that to me," Danny supplied, his eyes flashing bright green for an instant. Dib nodded.

"We'll try and get in the back so we can shut down whatever body she's going to inhabit. If it's a shifter's design, then it'll be mechanical in some way or another. We'll try and get it so she can't use it, and then you take her down."

Danny nodded. "Alright, lead the way," he said, standing. The rings flashed over him once again as he stood to his full measure. Beside him, four metal legs shot out of Zim's pack and hoisted him into the air. He smirked.

Dib nodded, getting to his feet, and they followed him into the streets below.

Zim still didn't know why he was working along side the humans. He was, after all, an Invader, and they rarely worked with the people they were planning to destroy. But for some reason, there was something about the ghost boy that drove Zim to want to help him. He didn't really know what it was, but it worked.

So even with these thoughts, Zim plowed forward, Dib clutching to his arm as the Irken slid silently through the dark on four metal legs. As Dib had predicted, there was in fact a back entrance to the warehouse, and it was well guarded. This had been expected, so the two boys were prepared to see the shifters standing just outside the door. Dib nodded to Zim and he set the human down, then silently crawled just above the door. While two legs held him to the wall, the other two descended quietly just behind the shifters.

The only sound was the thud as the plasma nailed them in the base of their skulls and they dropped, unconscious. Zim waved Dib down and the two slid into the door, and into the darkness.

Danny had simply taken the front door, though he was quite invisible. He slid through the walls and doors silently, peering around. It was almost too dark to see without a ghost ray, but he knew he couldn't chance it. So he moved on, hoping for some sign of where he was going, and more importantly, some sign that Sam was still alive. He could hear sounds from the far end of the warehouse, talking, it sounded like. He peered around the corner and into the room.

There stood Sam... er... Depravity, next to a table, where her body lay. She was saying something... but Danny couldn't quite make it out, since she was speaking so low.

"C'mon... hurry... there's not much time left..." he whispered to himself. A metal leg jutting into few for a fraction of a second caught his eye, and he smiled. "Okay... hurry..."

Dib had recovered his laptop on the way in, and was typing furiously away. "Okay... almost in..." he whispered.

Something popped up on the screen: _CONNECTION LOST. BODY DISCONNECTED FROM POWER SOURCE._

"Oh crud..."

Danny slipped in silently, going for Sam to push Depravity out... but he knew he was too late when Sam crumpled to the ground and Depravity stood there, ghostly and sliding into the new body. He swore under his breath and shielded himself as light flashed through the room. The air rippled and the ghost boy took a step back to steady himself. He might be invisible, but he could still feel everything going on around him, and right now he was certain he could feel the air melting.

The body began to jerk as she attached herself to it. Below the table Sam had roused, and was scooting back into the wall, her eyes mirroring the terrible fear she felt in her heart and bones. Danny knew that if Depravity got ahold of her, she'd be dead in an instant, so he knelt next to her and placed a hand on hers. She gasped, but when she heard Danny whisper in her ear, she froze.

"It's me..." he whispered. "Let's go, before she does some damage."

The two slipped down through the floor and out of the room, coming up behind Dib and Zim.

"We were too late," Dib said, hanging his head. "She's gone and fused with that body. We're going to have to get rid of her and Xanu."

Zim got to his feet. "I'll get rid of Xanu," he said, clenching his fists. "The shifters are a threat to my conquest-"

He was silenced suddenly as Danny pressed a hand to his mouth and grabbed hold of Dib's arm. Sam was still holding Danny's shoulder. In an instant they vanished from view and the door beside them slammed open. Out walked Depravity and Xanu, into another room, alone. Danny nodded to Zim and he pushed Sam and Dib into another room, out of sight. The pair slid into the room behind Depravity and waited.

"Xanu, I would like to commend you for your efforts. It's been quite a pleasure working with you for all these years, and it's a shame to have to end our business this way..."

"What?" he said, confused. "What do you mean, 'end it this way'? We had a deal."

"True, we had a deal, that I would reward you richly with all the power you could ever want," she replied, and something dark flashed in her eyes. He made a move to step back but unfortunately, he didn't make it that far.

Depravity snatched him by the front of his long coat and sneered. "You didn't expect me to actually _give_ you that power, did you?" she chimed. "I simply meant that you'd get to see it. Of course, if I'd have known any better, I might have just done this without you, but I did need drones to do all my dirty work. A seventeen year old girl would draw too much attention, especially if she never ages." Daggers sprouted from her fingers. "You didn't question when I disposed of that pathetic Paulina girl, nor when I sent you to take care of the abomination's sister. Why did you think I'd get rid of them? Because I couldn't have them talking." She forced one dagger through his stomach. "The same goes for you." Another followed suit, pressing through the flesh.

Xanu gasped as the pain seized him. Depravity went on. "Besides. If I gave you that power, you'd get in my way, and I can't have that. I'll take that little weapon for myself, and with it I'll finally put an end to the boy, something you couldn't do. You have no idea how skilled he can be, so this shall be entirely up to me. As I said," she whispered, sticking him with a third dagger in his ribs, which tore into his lungs, "You are no longer needed. Good bye, Xanu. I'll be sure your men get a proper farewell."

The fourth dagger entered his heart and she twisted it, then ripped it out and thrust it into his neck.

"NO!" Danny shouted, materializing out of thin air and leaping at Depravity.

* * *

"We need to get out of here," Dib whispered, yanking Sam's arm. She nodded and got to her feet, weakly since she hadn't had control of her own body in over fifty years. She stumbled after him, and the pair fled into the street. They didn't stop for a long time, not until they were a safe distance from the warehouse. 

Sam leaned against the wall of a building and slid down, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Danny... we just left him there! She's going to kill him!" she shouted, putting her head on her arms. Dib patted her awkwardly on the shoulder.

"I don't think she'll kill him..."

"Yes, she will. She hates him, more than anyone in existence. She's not going to stop until she literally rips his heart out!"

Dib thought a moment. "Now... that's... well, a bit morbid."

"TACOS!" came a shriek from behind them. Dib sighed.

"Where's Zim?" he asked.

"Master is with the... other... thingy..." he said, his eyes screwed up in concentration. Dib nodded.

"Well, Zim is with him, so they might stand a chance..."

"You have no idea how powerful she is, do you?" she asked, leaning her head back again. Dib shook his head. "Depravity, at her most powerful, can become one with the elements. She commands darkness, she can shoot plasma from her hands, and let's top that off with the fact that she's got a brand-new body that can morph into whatever the hell she wants. She's got something inside her, too, but I don't think she'd use it if she cared for her own life."

Dib nodded. "Okay... well what are we supposed to do?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I tried to find a weakness while she was overshadowing me, but I couldn't find any. She locked herself up tight."

"Well crud. What're we gonna do then?"

"I dunno, but we can't just leave Danny to take her on alone. We've got to get her away from him. I need to know something, though. What happened to him? How is he still alive?"

"When Xanu shot him, it was only in the arm. Danny went into the... ghost... thing... and waited there until the portal was reactivated again... er... by me. I don't know why he's still a kid, though..." he muttered, placing a hand behind his head. "Anyways, we'd better get moving. If she's as powerful as you said, there isn't much time."

Gir waddled up next to him. "Are we gonna save my master?"

Dib nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

"You've got to be joking," Depravity said, yawning, clutching Danny's fist. "You think you're being all noble and righteous, don't you? Too bad, you're just a bit too late," she whispered, smirking and tossing him across the room like a rag doll. Danny flipped back and landed in a crouch, sliding back as he hit the ground. Zim leaped forward, his metal legs firing off volleys of plasma at the ancient. She bolted across the room and around, spinning into a sweeping kick and knocking the Irken clean on the floor. 

And then Danny was up again, green plasma shooting from his hands. Depravity countered and attacked, causing Danny to go intangible for an instant to avoid the waves of darkness. When he rematerialized she was there, and kicked him up through the roof.

She blasted up after him.

Zim got up off the ground, slowly and painfully, and his pack opened. One of his metal legs dropped the cuff into his hand and he leaped up through the ceiling after Danny and Depravity.

Their fight was intense, that much was certain. Danny was having a hard time avoiding her blows. She was toying with him, and Zim could see it. If he didn't do something, Danny wasn't going to be just half-dead.

Depravity smashed down on him with her hands laced, her blow coming down on his back and sending him shooting to the ground.

"What's wrong, you little freak? Where's your power now?" she giggled, rushing down to meet him and kicking him hard in the chest. Danny groaned under the pressure and hit the ground, hard.

He growled as he sat up. "That's a good question..." he muttered, and threw up his hands to block the punches she was throwing at him. The glowing green dome enveloped him, protecting him for a few precious minutes.

"Hey! Albino!" someone shouted, and Depravity stopped, turning to see who'd shouted at her. She was met with a volley of searing hot plasma that knocked her clear down the block. Zim blew slightly and the steam from his pack vanished as he smiled. She stood.

"Oh you little rat-" she started, only to meet a hard fist directly in her jaw, courtesy of Danny. She stumbled and slid back again, clutching her face where he'd hit her. There was a slight dent from the force of his impact.

"Power's not all asleep," he said, smirking slightly. "If you piss me off again, you're going to regret-"

"DANNY!"

He turned, and there she was, standing with the boy and the dog. When he turned back, Depravity was gone.

* * *

"Ah, Lady Depravity, you have returned, and mostly unharmed, I see," Jaston said, giving her another sweeping bow. 

"Mostly?" Depravity echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"You're jaw. There's a slight dent."

She nodded and made a mental note to fix that. "That's not important right now. What is important is the tasks I have for each of you. The boy will stop at nothing to see to it that I am removed, so to speak. I want to make absolutely certain that he is so broken that he can no longer fight me. It will make it easier if we plan to take this plane of existence."

"Take this plane? But my lady, I thought you simply wanted to destroy it."

"My time working with these worthless humans has shown me something. Mortals can be used, for good or evil, and when the right price is given, they'll do anything. So I shall use them to further my power. With their evil, I can finally storm the gates of heaven and hell and take them as well. First, there are some certain deities that must be removed. First, Ravial must die. Her connection with this planet will make it too difficult to take by force. With her gone, that'll leave us open to taking this entire world and the filthy inhabitants. Next we must dispose of Cirria. She'll have the second greatest connection to the planet. Though, now that I look back on it, I don't think she's in her immortal form. I can't remember where she is, anymore."

Jaston nodded. "That shouldn't be a problem, my Lady."

She smiled and went on. "After that, we must be rid of Kalliva, for she can bring us ill fortune, as she is the sea. Once those three are out of my way, we can move to conquer Hell. My father must be the first to go. I know that a year before the boy killed me, you almost destroyed him, is that true?" she asked, eying Miriana.

"Oh yes, and what a thrill it was!" she chimed, clasping her hands. "Hysteria is such a nasty disease..."

Depravity nodded. "Alright then, you shall go to hell and see what you can do about my father and the other three. Once Father is gone, I shall go to heaven and dispose of my mother and siblings. That shouldn't take too long. Jaston, while we're in heaven and hell, I want you to influence these pathetic humans. Bring them under my command."

"Yes, madam."

"Dan, I have a special task for you," she said, turning to the dark incarnation of the Ghost Boy. "I want you to eliminate Mobieus."

"Who?" he asked, arching a flaming eyebrow.

"I believe you know him as... Clockwork. I want you to kill Clockwork."

He sneered. "Now that, I can do."

Depravity sneered. "Once we pull off our little coup, it won't be long before all of their power becomes my own."

* * *

"Danny, are you okay?" Sam asked, kneeling beside him and gently pressing two fingers to his ribs in several spots. He didn't answer, but instead pulled her into a tight hug.

"Sam..." he whispered, closing his eyes. "I thought..."

Zim sighed. "Ah-hem. We do have business..." he said irritably. "And I do certainly hope you aren't going to forget about it with your mushy human affections."

Danny chuckled. "Okay... where'd she go?" His response was shrugs and the shaking of Sam's head. He sighed. "Okay... we'd better-"

His sentence was cut short as the warehouse was blown sky high.


	11. One By One

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

_Author's Notes: In parts of this chapter, I mention scenes from certain Danny Phantom episodes. Take note that while these events happened, it wasn't in the same sequence that the cannon time-line did. Danny and Sam didn't hook up (at that time, anyways), Tucker never became mayor, and obviously, Vlad came back after awhile when the din had died down about him being an evil ghost. There are others, but I'll let you make those observations for yourselves. And if you think Dan's a bit crazy, imagine being locked in a thermos for fifty years and not losing your mind.  
_

**Chapter Eleven:**

**One By One**

* * *

Danny never knew he had such remarkable reflexes, but he just barely managed to throw up a ghost shield in time to stop the blast from disintegrating them on the spot. The glowing green orb wrapped around them, shining brighter as the explosion grew more intense. Danny was shaking with the effort of holding it in place, but he didn't let up. He couldn't, knowing that if he did, they would all die. Zim tried to help by fortifying the shield with a plasma dome of his own, helping to ease Danny's burden. 

And at last the roaring subsided and then stopped altogether, the light dimming and the debris finally falling back to Earth. It rained down on them, kicking up dust and obscuring the world from view. Still the shield held, until Danny thought the debris had mostly finished dropping on them, and he dropped to one knee. The shield flickered and died away. All around them was smoke. The rings flashed around Danny's middle and split, returning him to his human form. He tipped forward and caught himself on his hands.

"Danny..." Sam whispered, touching his shoulder gently. He peer up at her through his raven hair and gave her a weak smile.

"It's been fifty years since I saw you last..." he whispered, hanging his head again. "I thought I'd lost you again... for good..."

She scooted up closer to him.

"Sorry, Sam," he moaned, and then tipped over, out cold.

"Danny!"

* * *

High in the sky the four of them were gathered, whispering about their plans. 

"I'm certain that should have taken care of the rest of his shifters and thrown the little ghost brat off our trail for now. We must find Ravial first. She must be the first to fall if we are to find Kalliva. I think we ought to split up. I'll take Miriana and we'll hunt down Ravial. Dan, you and Jaston take out Kalliva. Last I heard, she was in the waters of the Caribbean. I'm fairly certain I know where Ravial hides. Once we finish those two, Jaston I want you to find Cirria and dispose of her. While Jaston is taking care of the Air goddess, I will go to heaven and take care of my mother and worthless siblings. Miriana, you are to enter hell and dispose of my father and uncles. Dan, you remove Clockwork. Once that has been completed, all of you must meet me in Heaven to usurp the power of the Gods."

The other three nodded in accord and then turned to go their separate ways. Depravity and Dan were forced to carry their counterparts, for though they had gained unearthly powers, flight was not among them.

With a dark grin and a wicked gleam in her eyes, Depravity set off to kill Mother Earth herself.

* * *

Ravial had never cared for the given name. She thought it far too... limited. It didn't describe her very well. So Ravial was known by most cultures as Mother Earth, the giver of life and creator of nature. It was her self-appointed name. Once she'd discovered that Mobieus had changed his own name, she followed suit. Of course, Mobieus also had one other name that he often refused to acknowledge, and that was Father Time, and it was this name that inspired Ravial to alter her own. And so she became Mother Earth. 

Ravial's sanctuary was nearly impossible to find if one didn't already know its hidden location. She'd made it just so, hopping to avoid prying mortal eyes. And it worked, for the most part. Occasionally, someone lost their way and discovered her in her little wood, but they never saw her.

It had remained that way for as long as she could remember being here on this Earth, and it was all about to change in a whirl of destruction, because in an instant, the trees had uprooted and been blasted into splinters, the bushes torn to shreds, and the animals blown away.

"What is this?!" she shouted, shielding herself from the debris. It was as though the wind itself was attacking her, lashing at her in sharp gusts that cut and bruised even her immortal body. She stumbled and fell back, hard. And through the falling debris there was someone... or two of them, the shapes were so distorted it was difficult to tell, and they were moving towards her slowly.

"Auntie Ravial..." she whispered. The wind stopped.

"Who... who's there?" she said, her voice trembling.

"Auntie Ravial, how can you forget your favorite niece? Or did you abandon me like the rest of them?"

Ravial's eyes widened slightly in shock. "You," she whispered, standing. "You're supposed to be with Mobieus."

"All that green, wasn't a good view. I like it better out here," she replied, placing a hand on her hip and giving the elder goddess a sneer. "Speaking of here..." she whispered, and approached the goddess. "I need something, something only you can give me. Of course, the others will, too, but only you have this power."

Ravial stepped back. "And what is that?" she asked coldly. "Perhaps I should call your mother?"

The ancient shook her head. "Mobieus has certainly done that by now, no need to bother. And what I need is for you..." she hissed, zipping forward and coming eerily close to Ravial's face, "Is for you to die." From her hands the daggers morphed and she thrust them at her aunt. Had they been regular daggers, it might not have mattered, and Ravial wouldn't have had to fling herself to the side to avoid their bite. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case, for it was Depravity that was trying to kill her, and her hands were wrapped in utter darkness.

Ravial dashed to the side, throwing up her hands. Beneath them the very Earth shook and exploded up, leaping at Depravity at the command of the Earth Goddess. The Ancient of evil plowed through it with her bare fists, bashing her way to Ravial. Vines and trees lashed next, wrapping up in her arms and restraining her. The goddess stopped, waving a hand and the stones and soil returned to the surface.

She approached Depravity. "Child, have you gone mad?" she whispered, coming closer.

Unseen, a twisted smile crossed her blood-red lips.

* * *

The waters were clear and blue, something Dan had never really cared for. Even as Jaston stared into the waters with admiration, green blasted from the dark entity's hand and into the water, spraying it up into Jaston's face. 

"Well that wasn't necessary," he muttered, crossing his arms.

"Then maybe you should get to work. Where is she?" Dan retorted.

Jaston sighed and raised his arm. "There," he pointed.

"Can you swim?"

"Yes..."

Without another word Dan dropped him into the water and took off, laughing maniacally as he sent a volley of searing hot plasma at the small crab that Jaston had pointed out to be Kalliva in her disguise. The green energy impacted, and the islet was blown away. A mushroom cloud shot up, obscuring everything from view. Dan continued to laugh.

"That was a tad unnecessary, wasn't it?" called Jaston from the water, who was keeping himself afloat.

"Just a bit of fun," replied Dan, who crossed his arms. "Though I doubt that was enough to kill her. Give it a few seconds, and then the fun really begins."

And he was, indeed, correct, as only a few moments later, a torrent of water shot up, and within it, the mistress of the seas. Kalliva's deep blue eyes locked with Dan's fierce red once, hers cold with fury.

"Who dares disturb me?" she rumbled, the water around her swirling in her blue hair.

"I do believe that was me, but then, you should have known that."

She glared at him. "You impudent fool, you shall see the wrath of the sea for your transgressions!"

"Yawn. Stop talking," he snarled, zapping up to meet her. He smiled. "How about we put your threat to the test?" he whispered, pulling back a hand and thrusting his fist forward into her ribs. She was sent careening back, splashing in the water. He snickered.

She appeared at the surface again. "How is it that you can strike me? You are but a mortal!"

"Wrong," he hissed, once more just inches from her. "I surrendered that a long time ago." With another crack she was sent flying, this time into the air. She stopped herself and weaved her hands through the air. A column of water shot up, knocking into Dan and shooting him into the sky. More water came around and balled around him, encasing him in a sphere that moved wherever he did.

"Now you shall suffer the wrath of the sea!" she roared, preparing another devastating attack. At least, she had been, until she herself was attacked. The force of the blow knocked her back into the water, sputtering and confused. "Who?" she rumbled, blasting up out of the water once more.

"That would be me," Jaston whispered. "You aren't as threatening as you think you are. Now, if you'd be so kind as to just hand over the orb you possess."

Her eyes widened. "What? There... no... there is no orb!"

* * *

"Danny! Wake up! Depravity's gone!" 

"Silence! He is merely unconscious. He exerted much of his... stuff... when he shielded us from the plasma she nearly cooked us all with."

Dib was inspecting Danny as though he were an animal on the side of the road. "No injuries that I can see. He must be exhausted for some reason. He never really told us what happened to him while he was in the Ghost Zone..." he muttered, kneeling and checking the unconscious teen's pulse. It was there, and strong, so there was no real need to worry... was there?

Sam shook her head. "It could have been anything... we never finished the map of the Ghost Zone, and unless he got the infi-map from Frost Bite, I doubt he did anything else but wander from door to door, looking for a way to the past to stop this horrible thing from happening."

Danny groaned. Right now, though he could hear everything they were saying, all he knew was the harsh pounding in his head, and that if it didn't stop, his brain was liable to explode. "S-Sam..." he mumbled, rolling onto his back. "Where'd she go?"

"I don't know... she vanished after the building exploded."

"Exploded... oh damn!" he said, shooting upright, headache forgotten. "The Shifters! Xanu!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet and bolting across the destroyed parking lot and into what was once the warehouse. It was totally and completely destroyed. There were parts here and there, but not much had survived the wave of plasma in-tact, and even a life-form that was only partly organic would have had a hard time even remaining whole as a machine. There were parts, and there was blood, but there were no bodies. It made Danny sick to his stomach. He clenched his fists.

"Damn her..." he whispered, memories flashing across his vision. "She's done this before, remember?" he asked, turning to Sam, who looked nearly as ill as Danny himself. Zim scrambled up behind them, more shocked than disgusted. Dib had elected to stay behind, knowing full well what had happened and what anger it would cause him if he looked.

"Remember what she did?" he asked again, as Sam stared at the ground. She nodded slowly.

"I remember... It was the 'ides of march,' wasn't it? The same night as the prom. She forced you to kill her and you sent her... it... to hell, and she reunited with... oh, I don't remember which on it was. I'm still having trouble dragging up memories...

_Danny had just left his house when the street in front of him exploded. He went intangible and snatched the arms of his two friends at nearly the last moment. Bits of pavement flew through them and into the wall behind them, leaving large scars in his family's metal-framed home. A flash of light and silence hit Danny like a brick to the face, and then came the deafening explosion. Danny thought his brain was being jerked out his ears from the pain that explosion caused. But soon the noise faded, and Danny's clenched jaw relaxed. When the blast settled, Danny opened his eyes to survey the scene and bit back tears at what he saw. _

The entire block had nearly been destroyed. The burning wreckage of houses lined either side of a tar pit that had been the street only moments ago. The metal-framed Fenton home, the only building not in ruins, was blackened and scarred with the force of the explosions. People lay in horribly mangled heaps, or were crying and screaming, or were simply dead. There was tar and blood and ash everywhere. But what Danny saw next was perhaps the worst of all.

In the middle of the wreckage was a shadow, a being like in the fortress, but it was lighter than he remembered it being. It had a face as well, rather than just sadistic eyes. A pernicious smile graced its lips as it looked satisfactorily at its handy work. Danny's rage exploded. To do something this... cruel was unforgivable, but to thoroughly enjoy it was a cause for damnation.

"How could you? How could you hurt all these innocent people like that? You... you sick, twisted whore!" Danny roared, and in a moment he'd gone ghost.

"Didn't I tell you that I'd be back? Now, I believe there is a gift I must give you." The smile widened. "I am going to give you pain."

Spectral energy flared up around the enraged ghost boy. "I won't let you hurt one more person! I'll bury you right here!"

  
"My body hasn't functioned properly in over fifty years..." she whispered, blinking away tears. "And that night Vlad got to Tucker... wait, what about them? Who's still alive?"

Danny sighed. "Lancer's still alive."

"You're kidding."

"No, we saw him. Lancer, Jazz, my parents, but only by a thread. They're on life-support, courtesy of Jazz's house. Paulina..."

Sam lowered her head. "Actually... er... not so much."

Danny pushed the disturbing thought out of mind. "I guess Vlad's still alive and kicking. I guess the world forgot about what happened with the asteroid."

She giggled slightly and nodded. "We have to find Depravity. Who knows what she's doing out there. She didn't even bother to give us a long-winded monologue."

Danny's thoughts turned to Technus, as such things were quite his specialty. Apparently Sam had been thinking the same thing, and the pair laughed.

"What is so amusing?" Zim asked, clearly not as amused as they were.

"Nothing. C'mon, let's move. We've got to track her down. We should split up, we're going to need the help." Dib approached to listen. "Okay, so here's the plan. Sam, I want you to go back to Minnesota and talk to Jazz. See what she's got in the way of weapons, and no specter deflector is going to help us. Dib, go with her, and see if they have a portal. If they do, I want you and Sam to take whatever you can and see if you can track down some ghosts. You know the ones," he said, locking eyes with Sam. She nodded. "Zim, track down the rest of the shifters. They can't have all been in that building. Track them down and take them out. Don't kill them, just incapacitate them so we can question them later."

"And you?"

"Me? I'm headed to Wisconsin. Think I'll pay a little pleasure-visit to an old friend."

* * *

"N-n-no..." 

"Yes. Now stop struggling, or I'm going to cut your ethereal throat."

"Depravity you must stop! You know not the power you toy with-"

CRACK!

"SILENCE! Do not speak to me in such a manner. I will not tolerate it. Now... hold... still..."

There wasn't much else the earth Goddess could do. She was locked within the air, unable to move anything but her jaw. All she could do was watch while the icy-white fingers slid into her flesh. It burned, and at the same time, it was like freezing her insides, and in no way a mortal man could do. Depravity wasn't just reaching into her body, she was going past the barriers of the ethereal and piercing Ravial's very being. It was painful, in such a way that it was beyond description or comprehension by a human mind. Such a pain was so intense, that an ounce of it was quite enough to cause the mind to implode.

"Close..." she whispered, her eyes deepening in their bloody color.

"NO! You mustn't do this! It is to much for you!"

"I SAID SILENCE!" she shrieked, her eyes nearly bulging. Her fingers curled within the flesh, and the wounded Goddess screamed. And then the fingers struck something. "Ah... what's this now? I think I've struck gold..." she whispered.

"Please Depravity! PLEASE! Do not do this! I beg of-"

Her body when limp. Depravity extracted her hand, and within it, held a shining green orb that was brighter than a 75-watt light bulb. Immediately upon the orb leaving Ravial's body something hit the planet like a sack of rocks. Around Depravity the forest seemed to just... die. The trees became brown and shed their leaves. The grass lost its color. Plants withered and died. All that was left was the decay in the wake of the lost of nature. Animals turned on one another, attacking without cause or without warning. Even pets began to act strangely, running and hiding from one another. It was as though nature had simply gone from the world.

And in some truth, it had, as the prone form of its Goddess lay peacefully on the forest floor, her physical body wavering in and out of existence.

"Well that was eventful," Miriana commented, eying the body. "She looks like she's fading."

"She is. If she is without her very essence for too long, she will cease to exist. But that is of no consequence, not in my new world. Come, we have work to do. And we must hurry before the tremors begin and it will be impossible to walk within a city without a building collapsing on your head."

* * *

"You're the ghost, reach in and rip it out!" 

"Why me? You're psychic, you should know where it is!"

"FINE!"

Jaston didn't much like the idea of reaching into someone's existance and then ripping it out, but Dan did have a point. Ghost or not, he was confined to two planes of existance: this one, and the Ghost Zone. The removal of the orb took careful knowledge of a different plane, one that the ghost could not ascertain, due to the fact that it was the ethereal plane and much out of his reach. So it was left to the clairvoyant serial killer to do the work instead. The subject in question, the goddess of the sea, was laying still, her eyes reflecting the brutal pain she'd undertaken in only moments, courtesy of Dan Phantom.

Jaston wasn't going to ask just was Dan had done, because it was all too clear that whatever it was, it had taken down a goddess. Jaston had been so busy talking that he hadn't even noticed Dan escape his watery prison.

"Noooo..." she moaned, turning her head. Dan chuckled in the insane way that made Jaston's hair stand on end.

"Killing, killing, oh what fun, one by one till the job is done..." he said in a sing-song voice, placing a glowing hand over her mouth. "Be quiet now. Your voice makes me ill."

She struggled, but it was no use. She was bound too tight, and her body was frozen, and still wracked with pain. There was little she could do.

"Ah! Here we are..." whispered Jaston, and with a great deal of chanting and flourishing moves of his hands, his fingers sank into her flesh.

She shrieked. and was smacked rather hard by the flaming-haired ghost whose eyes made her very soul crawl. "Shut up. You're going to die faster, the more you scream, and as much as I love seeing you in pain, your screaming is wearing my nerves thin."

"And just a gentle pull..."

"Bye bye, birdie," he whispered, and then the life vanished from her eyes. The orb Jaston held was deep blue, and as deep as the sea (or so it seemed, though in truth it was merely the size of a small apple) as he stared into its depth. His concentration was broken when Dan spoke again.

"I suggest we move. The storm's coming," he said, grabbing the other by the wrist and yanking him up. As though on command the seas sprang up and claimed their mistress in their blue depths as though mourning her. They lashed about violently, sending up an array of harsh waves to try and claim the wrong-doers, but it was far too late and Dan was too high for the water to reach.

The same went for all over the globe, as the waters turned from calm to increasingly violent. Ships wrecked, coastal cities were leveled, and storms raged throughout the world. And it got worse every minute.

The pair approached land.

"It appears that Lady Depravity had the same effect with Mother Nature," Jaston mused aloud upon catching sight of the brown forests and dead flora that covered the land.

"Ah, I love the sound of chaos in the evening. Music to my ears," Dan said, smiling darkly. "One by one till the job is done."


	12. They Called Her Mother

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

**Chapter Twelve:**

**They Called her Mother**

* * *

He had no idea why he was still living, still breathing, but he was. Well, not in the way he was used to, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered. Something had changed inside him, something new and amazing. The senses were almost enough to make his head spin, that is, if he'd still had a head to spin. The others would surely come, and when they did, he could reclaim them, and they would feed him. His power would grow off of the sacrifices of his people. 

But why, he thought, should he stop at his own people? Weren't there billions thriving on this tiny speck of dirt floating through space? Weren't there enough of them to spread his plague, his legacy, throughout the galaxy? There had to be. This planet was crawling with potential chosen carriers. They would all serve him well, serve to carry his children. And the mutation, well, a slight setback, but nothing that couldn't be rectified when he became one with the planet. It was simply a matter of time.

Plans aside, he tried to move. He had to have movement left, he assumed. And he did, but not in the way he remembered. There were still tendrils, but he couldn't change them to his bidding. Well, they grew when commanded, and they were still the same familiar cold steel, but that was about it. It would do for now, because all he really had to do was gather the remains of his fallen comrades. It was easy enough, as they were strewn about fairly close to him. Though it had been a close call when the meddling worms had come investigating the deaths of his fellow men. So close, in fact, that he'd nearly attacked the boy to silence him. In the end, however, they blamed the female, the evil one. Her name was lost to him. Much of his memories were.

He tried not to think about it. He had other things to worry about, such as leaving his legacy rooted into the Earth through the rock and steel and dirt, and even in the pathetic life that scurried across the surface. Or at least, what little would be left once that woman had her way with them. He'd felt it when the life had gone away, taking its delightful green with it. He was angry, but that was nothing that couldn't be fixed, not once they all left him to his work.

And so to begin, since the others had left him alone, he'd burrowed into the Earth, entangling himself within the life and spirit of the planet itself. He forced himself through it and dominated it.

And then it all began to decay. Wonderful, beautiful green. It was different from the life he'd remembered only days before. Oh so different... but he didn't care. All that mattered to him was the lovely green and the tingling it sent through his vines.

Once he'd hollowed out a nice little spot for himself deep within the planet, he began to spawn his children, the offspring that would pass on his living legacy. They were certainly not beautiful, but life itself was beautiful, so they were beauty in itself. To others, however, they were less than beauty. In fact, they were abhorrent to the eye and ear of man. Blood-curdling shrieks issued from their gaping maws, making the very flesh crawl. They weren't very large, and if they weren't so slimy, they might almost pass for a plant. But they didn't. They were very slimy, a writhing mass of tentacles with one tooth-filled hole for a mouth. He found them delightfully charming... but the humans did not.

Even less so when he turned the spawn against them. Their little tentacles, though slimy, were numerous, and impossible to get off once attached. They scurried up the form of their target to the top of the head, where it was the mouth's turn to play. The sharp needle-like teeth bored millions of little holes in a circular pattern on the skull, and then the mouth suctioned it out, chewing it and eating it. Once that was finished, there was no hope left for the poor soul who'd fallen victim to the spawn. Their brain, the very essence of their being, was sucked out forcefully through the hole and devoured like the bit of bone. One would hope that the death would be quick and painless, that there is little suffering, but none have ever survived to tell of that part. And one can only assumed that having the brain ripped out of one's skull wouldn't be a pleasurable experience.

When there was nothing left to control the body, the tentacles slip in through the hole in the skull, along with forcing their way in through the base of the skull near the brain stem, through the eye-sockets, through the nose, the ears, and the mouth. The nerve-sensitive endings in their tentacles would then slide into what was left of the brain stem and take over the nervous system before the heart ceased beating. And it all occurred in a matter of seconds.

Their numbers were low to start out with. He couldn't have a mass-panic messing up his plans, so he coerced a few victims into his service and hid away, deep within the heart of his own decay, and waited. The time was soon to come.

* * *

"Are we clear on our plan, then?" Depravity asked, folding her arms. She'd traded her skirt and shirt for a form-fitting catsuit and a long, dark-brown trench coat. She liked it better. Jaston nodded as he traced a finger through the dirt while he sketched out his end of the deal. 

"You, Lady Depravity, are going to heaven to dispatch your mother and siblings, while I head to the west to locate the Wind Goddess and steal her essence."

"And while he's doing that, I'll be brewing up another batch of Hysteria to unleash upon the denizens of hell," Miriana supplied, her smile becoming quite insane.

"That leaves me to dispose of Clockwork." Dan crossed his arms, cackling under his breath.

And with that Depravity appeared to wink out of existence. In truth, she'd merely torn a tiny hole in the fabrics of reality, allowing her body to slip into Heaven unnoticed, something she had been unable to do as a Ghost alone. It was difficult, but with her new body, it was like a knife through butter. The realm she had been born into, the realm she'd once called home, it looked the same as when she'd last seen it only fifty years ago. It had taken that long for events to be set into motion, but she didn't care. She was back, and ready to finish what she'd started.

The realm itself was white and misty as always, and the spirits floated lazily about. Most of them ignored her, though a few stopped every now and then to give her the once-over before moving on to rest again. That was fine by her, and she let them be. She didn't want to create a disturbance that might bring Mother's attention, for if the deity of light were to discover her daughter had once more breeched the skies, Depravity might not get the chance to collect her orb. She needed that element of surprise.

Unknown to the dark Ancient, however, Mother's clairvoyance had shown her this very event years ago, during the fight between her daughter and the being she created... the hybrid boy. She had already seen her own fate, and knew it was unwise to try and change it. So she wasn't going to. However, she had not seen the fate of her other eight children, and had forced them away. Chaste and Ire had been hard-pressed to leave their mother's side, but in the end, they were dragged away by Ardor, who understood the dark tidings Mother had felt she'd wrought upon herself. After all, it had been her mistake to hide her apocalypse within the soul of her eldest daughter.

But what most of the children didn't know, something that Lore would explain to them later, was why Mother had chosen to remain behind to deal with Depravity. After all, she had no intention of killing her daughter, let alone fighting her again. Her only purpose was to ask one single, simple question. She knew she couldn't fight. Her connection to life had been severed when she'd felt her sisters pass from life, something that was like a knife being jammed between her ribs. Even if she'd wanted to fight, there was too much pain to stand it. For now, all she could hope was that her Sempiternal would win out, in the very end. Only Mobieus knew that answer, though.

This was how Depravity found the woman who'd given her life. Standing within her chamber, staring longingly down at the planet she'd worked so hard to create, only to leave it to its possibly grim fate.

"Mother," she said, striding in. The sounds of her boots clicking on the stone echoed off the chamber walls. Mother nodded, her hands folded behind her back serenely.

"Depravity."

"You were expecting me, then?"

"As always. I know why you're here, child. I know what it is you seek, and I will not stop you. I haven't the power to any longer."

Depravity sneered. "I wasn't sure if it was true, but apparently it is. You're sisters, auntie Ravial and auntie Kalliva, they held your connection, didn't they?" she asked, snickering slightly. "I should have suspected as much. But that's not important anymore. If you know what I want, how come you don't just give it here?"

Mother sighed, sadness in her tone. "I cannot take my own life, dear child. You know that better than anyone else. But, as you are my daughter, I am not going to stop you. I only have one question I wish answered before you rip my very soul from my body."

Depravity twinged at her mother's words, as they were sharp as a whip and cold as ice, but her face betrayed nothing. She forced the sliver of pity she felt into the depths of her heart and said, "What then?"

"I want to know why. Why is it so important that you take this power from me and my kin, why must you feel this hate?"

She didn't answer at first, and when she did, it was slowly, as though she were searching out the proper words. "You did this to me," she whispered. "You lied to me. You told me I could see him again, and you lied. And the boy, the one who killed me, he didn't care that he killed me. He'd gladly do it again, if given the chance. But all he did was watch me die. You put those filthy creatures there in place of my hellions, and that is something I cannot accept."

Mother nodded. "So your motives have not changed, but your methods have."

Depravity was silent, and then in a flash of dark she slipped forward, thrusting her palm through the woman's back. Mother remained silent, her face vigilant, though one single golden tear rolled down her pale cheek.

"You only said one question, not two," Depravity whispered into her mother's ear. "I'm sorry, but time's up. It's been up for a long time, now." She twisted, and Mother jerked slightly, but refused to cry out. She would not die a coward's death, and she would not beg. It was below her as a Goddess.

* * *

Danny banged on the door, hard. The Wisconsin dairy castle had been rebuilt since he'd last seen it. And apparently, the rich man living inside it had decided to shell out a few extra million to make it even more extravagant than it had been before. A tall man in a tuxedo answered, his nose turned up. 

"May I help you?"

"Yeah, I need to see Vlad Masters. I'm an old friend."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"An appointment? No... look, I just need to talk to Vlad!"

"I'm sorry, young man, but you may not see Mr. Masters without an appoint-"

"Wait, Charles, let me see who it is," came a familiar voice from within the stone hall. The butler at the door gave a slight eye-roll before stepping aside to allow his employer to see who'd barged in on his bath time. The expression on his face was like gold to Danny. Shock and terror all in one neat little bundle. However, Vlad didn't faint like Paulina had. Instead he dashed forward, grabbing Danny by the arm and yanking him inside.

"Daniel, how is this possible?" he whispered, prodding Danny's arm.

"Ow! Hey! I'm not a ghost!" he said, yanking his arm back. "I'm not here for small talk, either."

"I didn't suspect so. Come, we'll talk in private."

Vlad led him into a very lavish sitting room, where he gestured for Danny to sit in one of the large, cushy chairs. Danny did so.

"So, dear boy, why have you returned from the dead to seek out, of all people, me?" he asked, sitting in a chair across from Danny.

"She's back."

"Who's back?"

"Depravity. She's alive, she killed a whole bunch of shifters, set Dan, Miriana, and Jaston free, and then she just straight up vanished!" he said, now standing again. Vlad gaped at him.

"You mean to tell me that she's alive, and you can't find a destructive force on that scale?"

"She... she's keeping a low profile, I think. So I can't find her."

Vlad nodded and stood, crossing the room to the window. "I see. And you want my help? How would that benefit me?"

Danny glared at him angrily. "You never change, Plasmius," he snarled, folding his arms in front of him. "You don't help, the world could pretty much be destroyed. They're out there, they want us all dead, even you."

Vlad nodded. "I assumed as much. What of you then, dear boy? Are you on a crusade against darkness herself once again? Who's in your little crew this time?"

"That's not important. What's important is that you agree to help me. Just this once, or we're not going to be around much longer."

Vlad, at last, nodded. "I suppose-" he started, and was cut off when the entire earth began to tremble. "What is that?" he said, bracing himself against the wall as debris began falling from the ceiling and shelves. The trembling grew into full-blown rocking.

"I don't know!" Danny said, his body becoming intangible to avoid a chandelier that came crashing to the ground. He could hear the servants of the house screaming and running for cover. The pair leaped and phased through the wall as the rest of the castle came down in a pile of solid rock. Smoke obscured their vision, but when it cleared, Danny was certain he felt his stomach leap into his throat.

It was like everything in the world had suddenly died. The grass was brown, the trees had all lost their leaves, and all the wildlife had suddenly lived up to their name. Danny stared around, mortified. "What... the hell happened?" he whispered, slowly getting to his feet. And then above, something else happened. As though in a wave of darkness, the sun vanished, replaced by the dim glow of twilight. Danny's stomach dropped down again. "It's like light and nature just died..." he murmured, staring around.

Vlad's eyes turned somberly to the sky. "You don't know how right you just may be, Daniel."

* * *

Depravity was hesitant to withdraw her hand, but she did at last, and Mother's motionless form crumpled to the ground, where she lay in a peaceful position. The emotions welling up inside of her were pushed hastily aside and she turned to leave. Heaven had changed, she noticed, since the light had gone. She was holding it in her hand. The spirits had all hidden amongst the clouds, fearful that the dark would get them, too. She chuckled. 

And then she wondered what might happen when Miriana collected her father's orb. He did dictate law, after all. Did that mean utter chaos might ensue? Not really, she supposed, since it would be her law to command as she pleased. And time would be a wonderful thing to command as well. She wondered how the others had progressed in their own quests, and why her mother had just let herself be killed. Had she seen the future? Did she know it was a waste to fight?

And then another thought occurred to her: where were the other eight ancients?

* * *

"So she's gone. I hadn't expected it to be so quick, but then again, I had also forgotten about her ability to see. No matter. What's done is done, and I should be preparing for the next stretch of the parade." He sighed deeply. "Mother is what we called her... she was always so full of life and energy. She loved to create. And now here, in these dark times, she's been forced to wallow in the darkness of death. It's quite sad, really." He paused, then shot a glance back. "I'd suggest you children hide. When he shows up, I guarantee it will be a messy affair." 

They did as he told them, vanishing into the heart of the fortress just as the maniacal laughter began to echo through her walls. He turned to the swirling mirror and waited patiently as the front door was blasted off its hinges yet again. Even through the debris he knew who it was. With a slight smile he watched as the dark ghost forced his way into the room.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up at all."

"Clockwork. You knew I was coming."

"Yes, I knew. But then again, I know everything."

* * *

"Why a goddess would want to live in a dump like this is entirely beyond me," Jaston muttered to himself. It was dark now, so he assumed Depravity had succeeded in her mission. And he didn't mind. He'd liked it better like this.

He slid silently through the town. People were hiding in their homes, some superstitions taking over and forcing people to attempt to sacrifice others to "appease the Gods," which he found all entirely funny. He moved past them and to the house he'd been looking for, then gently rapped on the door. The woman that opened the door was no older than sixty, it appeared, with her graying red hair pulled tightly into a bun. Her teal eyes swept him over for the briefest instant before they widened and she took a step back.

He chuckled. "Hello, Jasmine."


	13. Something Wicked This Way Comes

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

_Author's Notes:I apologize for the long wait. School and work have me bogged down, not to mention being sick for the past week and a half. Alas, I've finally found t time to write another chapter. I'm trying to juggle updating four stories with homework and crappy shifts. But, I digress, here we have it, chapter thirteen of "Invasion," and it is far from over.  
_

**Chapter Thirteen:**

**Something Wicked This Way Comes  
**

* * *

Sam's eyes were burning from the smoke as they stood in the edges of the town. It looked like someone had gone through and razed the entire town without a thought. Dib was coughing and covering his mouth to keep the toxic smog from entering his lungs. The source of the burning was the little town, which was still being burned to the ground. Sam's eyes went round when they fell on the form of the culprit, who was in the process of chasing a poor woman through the streets, right towards them. 

"Stop running, it will be over soon!" he said gleefully. She didn't stop, instead scooping up a fallen brick and throwing it at him. It hit him square in the chest and he dropped.

The woman slid behind Sam and Dib and dropped to her knees, panting. She moved her turquoise eyes over Sam's lavender ones and breathed, "Sam?"

"Jazz, what's going on here?" asked Dib, kneeling down beside her.

"We were attacked by him," she muttered, pointing to the prone form of Jaston, who was beginning to rouse again. "I don't know what he wants, but he keeps calling me this strange name..."

"What name?" Sam asked, turning back to see that Jaston was now on his feet and walking towards them.

"Cirria," he hissed before Jazz could answer. "Please, I am simply asking for the orb that resides within you. I won't kill you, my dear, because of your mortal form."

"What are you talking about, nut job?" Sam snarled, blocking Jazz from the killer. He snickered.

"You mean you don't know? You've never heard the tales of the gods and goddesses? Perhaps I should enlighten you before I end your lives. In the time surrounding the fall of Depravity, which I'm sure you know about, her aunts and uncles had been having a feud. Mother was the one to end it, using her powers of light. Now, after that, each god or goddess chose a place to govern, and they left for their particular choice. Mother went to the After life, as you well know. Asmodius, the lord of Law, took his three brothers and retreated into hell. His brothers are Natas, who governs cold, Witheren, who lords over flames, and Be'lakor, the dark master. Mobieus retreated into the infinite void you call the Ghost Zone. Ravial, Kalliva, and Cirria chose to remain here on Earth, though for Cirria," he paused a moment, "it was for a different reason. She swore that she would remain by the side of the Sempiternal. And so she has."

"You're insane," Sam said once he'd finished his tale. He laughed maniacally.

"Perhaps, but insanity shares a very fine border with genius."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Whatever you think you're going to get from her, think again." Another laugh escaped his smirking lips.

"I don't think you quite understand, miss Manson. This is not something that can be avoided by giving me idle threats. Now stand down, or I shall have to incapacitate you. I've got orders, and unless I want my brain-stem ripped out through my nose, I'd best complete it."

"But... aren't you dead?"

"True, I was, but Mobieus didn't take careful watch of his little niece, and she broke us out."

"Who the hell is Mobieus?"

He laughed loudly. "You mean you haven't guessed? I'll give you a little hint: he's the master of all time."

Sam blinked. "You mean... Clockwork?"

He didn't respond. Instead, he rushed forward, knocking Sam onto her back. A swift jab of his hand across the paths of her mind rendered her unconscious in mere moments. He snickered as he rounded on Dib. But the boy was ready for him and slid to the side, then leaped up and tackled the psychic.

"Jazz! RUN!" he shouted at her as he proceeded to fight for supremacy in this deadly game.

She blinked and scrambled to her feet, and then bolted down the street and around the corner. Her old joints weren't what they used to be, she had to admit. In the moment she stopped to catch her breath, a sickening CRACK! echoed across the dead town, followed by Dib's horror-laden scream.

When she turned to her left to run again, she was stopped once more.

"Now, Jasmine, this is truly unnecessary. Please, I ask for the thousandth time, just give me the orb. It will not kill you."

She didn't have the chance to respond, because a second later, everything blacked out.

* * *

"Do you think the portal is still working?" Danny asked, staring skeptically at the mountain of rubble that had once been Vlad Masters' home. The older man thought for a moment. 

"It's possible my lab survived the quake. We'll just have to find out."

The pair sank into the ground, Danny following Vlad's lead, and emerged within the laboratory that Vlad had concealed beneath his manor. Not much had survived the earth quake, except a few vials and shelves. Fortunately, the portal was still in somewhat working condition. Danny inspected it closely while Vlad shifted into his ghostly form, courtesy of a pair of black rings around his waist.

"I think it'll hold for a few hours. We need to get ahold of some of the ghosts..." he paused. "But I sent Sam and Dib in a little while ago... if they haven't gotten in by now, something bad has happened."

Vlad nodded in accord. "So, what are you going to do then?"

Danny's eyed remained fixed on the floor for several long moments. "Find Clockwork, and ask him if he knows what's going on. Maybe get him to help us."

Vlad sighed. "Very well. If things do go badly, I'd encourage you to remove yourself from the scene. I think fighting this entity without you would prove to be troublesome at best."

A pair of white rings swept over Danny and he nodded somberly before floating up through the ceiling and vanishing.

* * *

"This is useless..." the young green-skinned boy muttered under his breath as he sat in his base, watching the computer monitors. "Computer, trace that source, I want a lock on it immediately." 

"PROCESSING..." the computer blared loudly. Behind him, a little green dog was running around in a circle, screaming at the top of his lungs. After several months of Gir's antics, Zim was able to at least tune it down to a dull drone in the back of his mind.

"COMPLETE. SOURCE LOCATED." The screen then shifted to an image of the earth, where there was a blinking light homing in on the source of the signal.

"Finally." Zim stood from his chair.

"WARNING: SIGNAL CORRUPTED. CAUTION IS ADVISED."

"Noted," Zim replied wearily and walked to the elevator. "Gir! Let's go."

The little robot screamed happily and bolted into the elevator, crashing into the back and lying there a moment, giggling.

* * *

The source of the signal came from the blast-zone of the old warehouse... but for some reason, it was coming from below him. He arched an eyebrow as he stared down. Behind him, Gir was digging a hole in the ground, his tongue hanging out from the side of his mouth. It was several minutes later that Zim heard the unmistakable sound of metal hitting metal. 

"OOOOOOOH!" Gir squealed when he saw what he'd run into. "It's SHINEH!"

Zim peered over the little robot's shoulder to see what he'd discovered. He didn't have time to muse over it, because a second later, it attacked. Four metal legs shot from the pack and hoisted Zim into the air in time to avoid being impaled. He scurried out of range just as it came back around and whipped at him. Gir lunged and sank his teeth into the metal thing. It was enough to catch it off guard, because it didn't notice Zim's little legs glowing with plasma. Four blasts ground into the long metal tentacle, effectively severing it.

He was so focused on it that Zim didn't notice a second one emerge behind him. It latched on to his arm and yanked, pulling him down into a small tunnel in the ground... farther down, until he could no longer see the light from the tunnel. And then, with a thud, the dragging had stopped. Zim didn't know how far down he was, but he guessed it was near three blocks below the surface, if not farther. It was dimly lit in this strange cavern he'd found himself, the source of light coming from the glowing moss that lined the walls. And there, right in the center, was a writhing mass of metal and flesh, one that made Zim's stomach lurch.

And then it spoke. "You... I recognize your scent..." it thundered. The voice sounded splintered, like a hundred different low, rumbling voices all spoke at once. It was so strange... and yet, so familiar. "You are but a child... a meddlesome pest... you have something I want..."

Zim's nerves tensed as another metal tentacle slid his way. "You have it... the metal object I sought in my life... and I want it now. Give it to me."


	14. To Pieces

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

_Author's Notes: Sorry for my extended absence, guys. I've been wrapped up in school and another project that caught my attention that I couldn't put on hold. But, I digress, here's the chapter I promised, even if it is a few months late. We're still a ways from the end, so here's something to tide you over until the real action kicks up. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Chapter Fourteen of "Invasion."  
_

**Chapter Fourteen:**

**To Pieces **

* * *

"Ungh..." Sam mumbled as the world around her swam back into focus. Dib sat a few feet away from her, nursing a broken leg, and she could see Jazz's left leg from behind the building. She wasn't moving. The girl scrambled to her feet and stumbled across the street. Jazz lay there, unmoving, yet still breathing. Her eyes were tightly closed, as though she were suffering some great pain. Jaston was nowhere to be found.

"Jazz!" she said through gritted teeth. "Jazz c'mon, you gotta get up!" The older woman didn't move, but groaned and drew air sharply for a moment. Sam's eyes flicked back to Dib. "Are you okay?" she called, placing a hand on the fallen woman's shoulder.

"I've been better," Dib returned, tearing strips off of his jacket and wrapping his leg in them. "I'm gonna need help, though, and we need to get her into the house. Whatever he came for, I think he got it."

Sam nodded and pulled Jazz as far as she could before turning back and helping Dib to his feet. "He said something about an orb... and I think, whatever he meant, he took it out of Jazz. We have to get her inside and contact Danny as soon as possible." The other boy nodded and pulled himself painfully to his feet.

"That guy... did you know him?" Dib asked as he limped after Sam.

"Once... a long time ago. He tried to hurt some people we cared about... so Danny had to finish him off to save everyone." She sighed and turned her eyes back up. It was hard, thinking off all these sad memories, but she didn't suppose she have much choice. She and Dib returned to the older woman, who was still lying on the ground where Sam had left her. The pair picked her up, Sam under her arms and Dib at her feet, and slowly carried her up to the metal-framed house. Most of the furnishings had been overturned or tossed aside rather unceremoniously. It was disturbing, to say the least.

Sam leaned back against the wall after the pair set the couch right-side up and placed the unconscious Jazz on it. "Okay, so we were supposed to get into the Ghost Zone to talk to some old friends," she mumbled, glancing around the house. "We should get moving."

"But what about her? We can't just leave her here..."

"You're right... if she has a specter speeder like the one Danny's parents had, we'll be able to take her along. Now we just need to find her lab..." she whispered, walking into the kitchen. The house was strikingly similar to the old Fenton home, minus the random splotches of ectoplasm and other various substances that neither Danny, Sam, nor Tucker ever questioned. Her thoughts of the trio was enough to make her lip quiver, since one of them had long-since vanished and the other had been presumed dead for fifty years. It wasn't exactly a heart-warming memory.

She made her way to the basement, Dib hobbling close behind. There was a lab, but it was much different than the lab that sat in the basement of Danny's house. For one thing, it was clean, and was absent the various unfinished and hazardous experiments common of Jack. However, there was something that was incredibly familiar: the steel doors of a ghost portal. Sam made an enthusiastic gesture and dashed to the control panel, punching in a sequence of commands that eventually caused the doors to slide open.

"Awesome," she whispered, glancing around to spot something that resembled the specter speeder, with the exception of being much more advanced. It was sleek and silver, almost resembling a small fighter jet with the Fenton logo plastered across the wings. "Okay, let's go. The sooner we find some allies, the sooner we end this crap."

* * *

"Child, give me the object I seek, and I shall give you the honor of being joined with my spawn..." the voice rumbled, metal tentacles twisting their way around the cavern. Zim folded his arms, refusing the speak. The metal cluster growled, a thunderous sound that shook the entire cave. "You will give it to me, or you shall perish at the hands of my offspring..."

Finally Zim turned, facing the main bulge that he assumed to be the control center of the... whatever it was. "I told you before, you're not getting this weapon!" he snarled, his hands clenched tightly into fists. The room began to shake and around him there were little tentacled balls of slime, almost watching him. That is, they might be if they had eyes. He fixed his gaze on the mass, trying to avoid having to look at the others and forcing down his feeling of intense disgust. "It doesn't matter how much you threaten me, I made it clear that this is not EVER going to be yours!"

Right on cue Gir blasted in, screeching at the top of his lungs. The little masses of filth recoiled back from the violent noise that was Gir. Zim dashed after the little robot and leaped to sit on top of it like a bike, shouting, "Gir! Get us out of here NOW!"

"YES SIR!" he replied, his eyes flashing red for the briefest of moments and then returning to their original teal. Blue flames emerged from his feet and the pair were blasted up through the hole Gir had made coming in. It was a long ride, and being chased by squirming masses of hideousness didn't help the length any. At last Zim saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and began to breathe a sigh of relief.

Just as they burst into the world above, something sharp found its way into Zim's gut, piercing the Irken straight through. He didn't feel the pain at first, only a warm, sticky feeling around his mid-riff. Two minutes passed before he could feel the pain, the agonizing bolts of shear pain that shot up and down his form. He tipped sideways, falling hard on the moist, brown Earth. Gir paused to look back, then doubled back and dropped beside his fallen master and began to sob loudly.

"Master! Master, you gots to get up!" he cried, wailing like a siren. Zim slitted an eye open, staring at the little robot for a moment.

"Gir, be quiet," he muttered, sitting up slowly. "Let's go, we've got to get this out of reach of that... thing. I have a feeling he's not gonna give up so easily just because we outran him. Let's go," he said, gingerly getting to his feet and pressing a hand to the wound to stop his green fluids from leaking out. After once again sitting on the little robot the pair blasted up and away from the scene.

"He wanted this," Zim mused aloud, holding the metal shackle in his hand, turning it over to look at it. "And he said he recognized me. If that was who I think it was, then this planet is probably doomed."

* * *

Danny chewed his lip apprehensively, looking around the swirling green mist that was the Ghost Zone. He had no idea where he was going to stumble onto Clockwork's tower, but he had to do it shortly. Vlad had gone off somewhere to try and contract whatever other ghosts still survived to their aid. He didn't think it'd do them much good against a woman who'd literally defied death, but it would help tip the scales even slightly in their favor. Somehow, the comfort of dying amongst those who could be almost considered friends was more welcome than a lonely victory.

It was with a similar sentiment that Danny found himself floating upon the great wrought-iron gates that floated uselessly around the fortress of time. He guessed they were mostly for show. However, he didn't think the commotion coming from within the building was just for show, so he shifted his form to smoky and invisible and made his way towards the source of all the crashing and arguing.

Before he could even reach the door, however, it was blown clean off its hinges and slammed right on top of a hapless and flabbergasted Danny.

"Well, looks like he got the door," said a chilling and familiar voice that made Danny's heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He kicked the door away and stared directly ahead at Dan Phantom, who was cackling like a madman and floating ever closer to him. "Hey, it's little me!" he said with a tone of slight surprise, but it vanished a moment later when he turned around to face Clockwork. "You didn't tell me we'd be having guests!"

An irritated Clockwork only glared, gripping his staff tightly as he circled around to find a position that best allowed him to attack.

Danny chewed his lip apprehensively, shifting slightly through the mists and he attempted to fathom just what it was that was going on. He didn't get much chance though, because a heartbeat later he'd been tackled and wrestled to the wall of the fortress. "Little me, it's been awhile," Dan hissed in his ear, and Danny could almost feel the forked tongue flicking out near his ear.

"Get the hell off of me," he snarled, he eyes flashing darkly.

His words were met with a wicked chuckle. "I think not, kid. In fact, since you removed me from the time-stream and then screwed it up yourself, I have no problems with killing you right now," he breathed, pressing a searing hot hand to the small of Danny's back.

He only winced, squeezing his eyes tightly. "Last chance for you to get the hell off me."

Dan pushed harder, forcing him so hard into the stone walls that the rock he was flat against began to crack.

All at once Danny's eyes flew open, brilliant green and deadly. He balled his hands into fists and then jerked away, whipping around and belting his alter ego straight in the jaw. The entity stagged, hand on his jaw and a look of bewilderment in his eyes. From behind, Clockwork struck, thrusting out the staff and in a breath, the dark Phantom had frozen.

Danny released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and stood, shakily, and crossed to wherer Clockwork floated. "You think you can tell me what the hell is go-" he started, but his sentence was cut off by something hard striking the back of his head. He felt himself crash into the stone of the fortress, and there he lay for a few moments in a heap as he sorted out just what'd happened.

Something bright flashed behind him, and Clockwork was thrown back as well. Danny turned to see the other advancing on them, something sinister in his eyes that made a rage boil up within him.

"She told me I just had to take your orb, Clockwork, but she didn't tell me I couldn't kill you. And as for you... well, she may want you to herself, but that doesn't mean I can't kill your friends instead."

Danny's muscles tensed, and he suddenly found himself trembling with rage at the words of the other. The mad glee in Dan's eyes, the tone in which he spoke of killing those dear to Danny, the way his face read of 'I'll make sure they suffer first' made Danny, at last, snap.

He brought up his hands, drawing from inside him that same energy he'd discovered when he'd fought Depravity. It swirled around him a moment and then exploded from him, consuming Dan in a wash of brilliant green light that slowly began to tear him apart. The energy was thrown from Danny with such a force that the stone around him had begun to crack and crumble.

Dan Phantom couldn't scream, but oh, he wanted to.

* * *

It had been fifty years since Skulker had seen anyone from the living world, save the ghost boy that'd lived among them for those long years. But it came as quite the shock when he saw Vlad Plasmius float into his domain, and an even greater shock when the older hybrid had asked for help. The explanation was a short one, as Skulker had been present the last time the dark Ancient had terrorized mankind. The hunter listened in silence to the other's tale, simply nodding here and there to show he was, in fact, still listening.

"...and now, since it appears she's killing off the gods one by one, we may need a little more help than we'll be able to find," Vlad finished wearily, glancing around as though he were being watched. Skulker arched a flaming eyebrow.

"And since our worlds are connecting, I guess you need our help," said the large metal-framed man, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, either that or you can bow to Depravity," he said and folded his arms. A sigh of resignation escaped the hunter.

"I'll see what I can do. There aren't many of us left, you know," he said in a tired fashion and floated off into the mist, leaving Vlad alone with the swirling green and his thoughts. He couldn't help but feel that even with the help of the other ghosts, there was no hope of defeating that... thing. And something else was lurking in the shadows, something that, every time he tried to fixate on it, shivers ran up his spin and a feeling of sickness washed over him.

Something that reminded him of a disease.

At length he shifted his focus to something slightly more pleasant, like having his innards ripped out by a power-hungry, revenge-seeking lunatic who'd missed a few too many hugs. He sighed inwardly and turned, floating on deeper into the mists after Skulker.

The ghosts had already gathered round and were listening intently as he explained the coming, and imminent, dangers that threatened to destroy them all. It was amazing how much they had all changed in fifty years. Ember and Skulker's relationship had blossomed, resulting in (and he never wanted to know nor questioned how) two small children. She floated there, one on her hip and the other at her side. The box ghost hadn't changed much, only collected more rectangular containers. He had, though, become a father to little Boxlunch and, though he embarrassed him, she loved her father dearly.

Several of the ghosts had been destroyed, including Bertrand, two of the three vultures, and Klumper. Technus had fused with Skulker, and a few of the ghosts had married and multiplied. Things had changed in the ghost zone since he'd been here last.

They each took their turn sharing ideas on the situation, Technus and the box ghost being the loudest of the bunch, and at last reached their decision.

"We're in, but you'd better pray we don't lose, or else we're all taking it out on you, Plasmius," Ember snapped, bouncing the flame-haired child on her hip.

"Well then, let's get to it. I have a few ideas that I thought I might run by you..."

* * *

Miriana walked away from the gates of hell, leaving them wide open for its infected denizens to escape and cause havoc. A smirk graced her visage as she left, carrying in her arms four glittering orbs. It hadn't been easy, but she'd managed it well enough. All four lords of hell had been incapacitated by her Hysteria, and hadn't done a thing to stop her when she'd stolen their essence.

She arrived where she'd been instructed, presenting the orbs to the white-skinned, flame-eyed woman in Mother's old throne.

"Excellent work. Jaston should be arriving soon. It seems we may have struck a bit of a snag," she said wearily, rubbing her temples.

"Oh?" the mad girl questioned, scratching her head with on of her many tentacles.

"Yes. It seems one of our number has run into a bit of _heat_ and failed to collect Mobieus' orb. We'll have to go get it ourselves, unless he can withstand the force that's tearing him apart."

Miriana nodded slightly and turned to see Jaston stride into the room, looking rather pleased with himself.

"My lady, the orb of Cirria," he said with a slight flourish.

"Well done. Now, let's get to business."

"My lady, if I may," Jaston interjected, chewing his lip thoughtfully.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I was simply wondering... what is to be done about the creature that's sucking the life from this planet? What are we to do about the spawn?"

"Destroy it."


	15. Bittersweet Reunions

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Bittersweet Reunions**

* * *

_Author's Notes: I'm very, very, very, very sorry it's been over a year since my last update. I hope everyone forgives the long absence and not too many people have vanished. In my disappearance I was able to do a bit of growing both artistically and emotionally. That means that I've got some great new ideas and I intend to finish this story hopefully before Christmas. At any rate, aside from my many many apologies, I'd like to invite any new readers into the fold. Anyways, enough chattering on my part. Finally, I'm revealing the very long-awaited chapter fifteen of "Invasion." Enjoy._

_A/N 2.0: I've just modified this chapter. I'll be working on all of the others while I'm at it. Just fixed up spelling and some grammar problems, should be better now.  
_

* * *

There was nothing left. That's not to say that he had destroyed everything, because the Ghost Zone was much as it had been fifteen minutes ago. But the object of his destruction, the one who had invoked such a violent wrath, was less than whole. In fact, the little bit that was left was too small to be considered part, so there really was nothing left, so to speak. The same could not be said of the driving force behind the explosion that had rocked the Ghost Zone, who was steaming, panting, and shaking as the realization dawned on him that he had just killed... _again._ Himself, no less.

The elderly form of Clockwork hovered to float beside him, and rested a comforting hand on his trembling shoulder. The gesture reassured the teen ghost hunter, but only helped to ease his shaking, much less so than the guilt that washed over him. The master of time guided him into the fortress. Danny floated along silently, save for the heaving of his breath, as he tried to calm himself. Clockwork was silent as well, simply for Danny's sake, knowing full well that he might buckle from the weight of the guilt. So he opted to let him have his moment of silence so that the initial shock may pass, and make the probability of a breakdown less likely.

At length, Danny's silence was broken and he turned suddenly, smashing his fist into the stone wall. "What is wrong with me?" he growled, withdrawing his now-bloodied hand. Clockwork remained silent, letting the poor boy vent his guilt and frustration on his walls. It was of no consequence, since he felt that Danny's health was of far more importance than that of his walls. There was another period of silence, in which Danny sank to the floor, trembling again. At long last, Clockwork opened his mouth to speak.

"I am well aware that any reassurance I give to you may not help in the way I'd like, and so I will not try to assail your ears with admonishment or praise. But let me say, Daniel, that you hold ideals that go against the way of the world. Those noble values that you keep are not detrimental to you, nor are they helpful. They simply are. However..." he trailed off for a moment and paused. "However, it is my firm belief that there are some people who are beyond reasoning. You fight for justice, and fighting for betterment and justice is not wrong. There is no shame in fighting for what's right, even if it means going against your own morals to protect the ones you love. Even if it means that a being who is beyond reasoning must be stopped at all costs."

Danny sat quietly, listening with his eyes closed. He didn't respond at first, only letting Clockwork's words wash over him. He guessed that in his infinite wisdom, he did have that part right. It wasn't the end of the world... yet. He had time to dwell on things later, but for now, he'd just have to take action and fix what had been started, no matter what the cost.

"What if we don't save them in time?" he asked, and Clockwork helped him to his feet. Clockwork regarded him, a mischievous half-smile playing on his ghostly face.

"My boy, there is _always_ time."

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Skulker asked as he desperately tried to regain his lost footing. The island on which they stood was shaking tumultuously, which was saying something. Whatever had cause that blast to rock through the Ghost Zone had to have been huge... or powerful.

Vlad's already unhealthy complexion paled. "I hope that wasn't..."

"Phantom?" Ember supplied, strapping her familiar guitar to her back. She glanced back to the children, who stood together beside the Lunch Lady. "We should move, maybe something happened."

Vlad nodded, and turned to lead the way through the green and hopefully to where they would find Danny alive. Vlad wasn't optimistic. He'd mentioned going to visit the time-master Clockwork, and had given him rough directions to the strange place, but hadn't been much more descriptive than "Look for the place covered in clocks." It didn't help much.

Finding the place, much to Vlad's surprise, wasn't as difficult to find, because it was emanating spectral energies the likes of which Vlad had only ever seen one other time. The blue waves that rippled out from a huge stone fortress that was littered with time-keepers of all sorts loomed through the misty green. It was no where Vlad had ever remembered visiting.

"Daniel?" he called into the rubble. Some of the walls had been obliterated, their only remnants laying piled on the ground in heaps of stone and black iron. An imprint against one of the piles was vaguely man-shaped, about as tall as Vlad. He didn't question what the imprint had been, only moved past it and called again. "Daniel!"

A door swung open and there the boy stood, his hands blackened and his face bruised, but otherwise unharmed. "Phantom!" Boxlunch squealed, and burst forth to hug him around the middle. He greeted her with a smile and ruffled her hair.

Vlad's eyes weren't on Danny, however, but on the shifting ghost behind him, who had just been in the shape of a withering old man, and was now resembling a small child. "Clockwork, I presume?" The ghost nodded silently. "And your other name... Mobieus, if I remember right."

Clockwork offered a half-smile. "You've done your homework."

"Fifty years is a long time to study."

Clockwork shrugged and placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. "I think we all know why we're here," he said, looking down at Danny grimly. "And I've already explained some of what needs to happen to him, but I guess we all may as well talk about what will happen in detail. It will change everything that we now know, but it _must_ happen. We have to brace Danny, and you, Plasmius, for what you and the others must become."

Danny glanced back at Clockwork, confusion in his eyes. "Become? I'm already the Eternal, what else do I have to become?"

"My successor, of course."

* * *

How in the hell had she gotten stuck with the clean-up job? Her skills were to be used for something more than just simple pest extermination! How humiliating it all was, but she was really in no position to argue. When Depravity gave an order, it was obeyed without question. And if you didn't obey... well, that was why they called her Depravity in the first place.

Miriana grumbled as she crawled her way down through the dirt and muck, using her own tentacles to push aside the grime and make her way into the source of her clean-up duty. Brushing one copper lock from her face, she felt the grand give below her and she went tumbling down into a chamber filled with a dim light and pulsating growths on the walls. It smelled horrid.

Slowly she got to her feet and looked around, her tentacles writhing in anxiety. Something slimy was moving on the floor but she ignored it. Once she detonated the charge she could leave, so the faster she got to work, the faster she got out.

"_You... I know your stench_," a voice rumbled. It sounded like a thousand fractured voices all screaming together, but it was low and guttural. "_You stink of... her. Why have you come?_"

Miriana didn't answer. She was frozen to the spot, fear and adrenaline coursing through her boiling blood. "I... I... I..." she stammered, fumbling with the explosives in her hands.

"_You mean to destroy me,_" the voice stated, a slimy metal tendril creeping along the ground towards her feet. She murmured something unintelligible and took several faltering steps backwards. "_That is something I cannot have. This must happen. You must feed my children. You must feed me._"

And then a thousand little squirming... _things _came seemingly out of nowhere and darted at her, slithering at her like some kind of mass of snakes. She shrieked, whipping around and scrambling to higher ground. "Get AWAY from me!" she screeched, her own tentacles batting them away. "Get OFF OF ME!"

They were climbing her legs, latching onto her skin, pulling at her hair. "GET OFF!" she screamed again. "GET OFF NOW! GET O-" she had started, but her mouth stopped moving, hanging open like she'd been struck in the face. Something red dripped slowly from her left eye-socket. A sickening squelching noise came from her throat and from her head at the same time, and blood poured freely from a hole in the center of her fire-red locks. Miriana's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she began to tip backwards.

Then she caught herself. That is to say, _she_ didn't, but the body of Dr. Madness had shuddered back to life, placing one foot back to hold itself steady. A stream of gurgling and hissing streamed from her mouth and then laughter, which was joined by the rumbling laugh of the fractured voices.

* * *

They were lost. Sam swore loudly as they cruised through nothing but seas of endless green and marveled again at the fact that they were lost in a place she used to know like the back of her hand. She glared sourly at the controls and pressed forward, pulling into a dive to give them a change of pace. Eventually they'd find another door. Something caught her eye and she glanced up. A rippling, shimmering blue was blazing around a dark shape in the distance. Blue energy that looked surprisingly familiar...

"Danny!" she cried, pushing the throttle forward. "Let's move, we probably don't have much time."

"How do you know that?" Dib asked with his eyebrow raised. He was still nursing a broken leg.

"If Danny is using _that_ energy, either something really bad has just happened or someone's already dead."


	16. The Way the World Ends

_**Danny Phantom**_

_**Invasion**_

_Author's Notes: I apologize for the late update, this chapter was incredibly difficult to get finished. The story is coming to a head, so read on. Be sure to read back, I've done some editing of earlier chapters, mostly spelling and grammar. A few things were added here and there. Anyways, here the next chapter of "Invasion."_

**Chapter Sixteen**

**The Way the World Ends  
**

**

* * *

**

Jaston was no fool. He knew better than to raise a point with Depravity that would cause her to rip his head off. But that didn't stop him from pondering on it himself. He felt Dan's energy sputter then vanish, like a candle blown out by a gale-force wind. And Miriana was another story altogether. He had no idea what had happened to her, but her energy had dipped and then surged again. Somehow it was different, like it had been covered with a layer of green film. It made no sense to him, but he wasn't going to question it. Things were already bad enough.

She was fixed and determined to do what she thought would earn her victory, so he wasn't going to stand in the way of that, however poorly he would see her end be. She was preparing to leave to retrieve for herself the sphere that Dan had failed to collect. A battle brought to the ghost zone was a battle he didn't know she could win, because the ghosts not only had the home field advantage, but they were probably expecting her.

"I know they're waiting for me," she voiced as she stretched her recently-completed body. "I know they think they'll either take me down or run and hide, and neither is going to work."

"My lady?"

"The kid is going to ask for help from the ghosts. His stupid half-breed acquaintance will try to help him. Mobieus is going to be there to try to put me under, so to speak. It won't work."

"Do you have a plan then, Lady Depravity?"

She shook her head. "No, but this body is more advanced than any of them realize. Mobieus can't stop time for me, the boy can't damage me, even the ghosts can't touch me. I think I'll go in and just destroy them one by one."

Jaston didn't reply, and his silence prompted her to say, "Unless you think you have yet a better idea?"

"Well my lady, I believe I do. The ghost zone is filled with instability. If even one random portal pops open the entire fight is thrown off."

"So what do you recommend?"

"If I may be so bold…"

"You may."

"Don't enter the ghost zone. Instead, I would advise to bring the fight to even territory. They will be too threatened to bring the fight here to the above, and no one wants to go anywhere near the below, so neutral ground would be the best way to lure them all out, and take care of the problem at once."

"Which would be…?"

"The insurrection, and the orb. I doubt very much if Mobieus will leave the boy to his own devices any time soon, so you'll be able to catch them both together. While they're fighting you, I could slip behind them and take the sphere before anyone knows what happened."

Depravity pondered this, and then at last, nodded. "Very well... but you must bring him to me. He won't come unless he knows what is awaiting him, so take him the message. If he does not meet me on the battlefield, and he'll know the one I'm talking about, then his world will be gone before he can muster a counterattack."

Jaston simply nodded, bowed, and left her, making his way to the ghost zone.

* * *

"Danny!" Sam shouted as the specter speeder slowly came to a halt, and she nearly dove out and dashed towards him. He glanced up and his anger and frustration lifted. "I saw the explosion, are you okay?" She wrapped her arms around his neck, taking in the cold of his skin. He was always strangely chilling in ghost form, but she never complained. She didn't mind either way. She took note of all the ghosts accompanying him, and had only now realized that many of those ghosts had been there enemies what felt like a lifetime ago. Sam still had no idea what had happened to Danny while he was in the ghost zone. He'd been here for fifty years with the other ghosts. Hadn't he gotten more powerful? Or did time move differently here than in the mortal world?

"Yeah, I'm alright," he said, smiling gratefully at her and squeezing her affectionately. "Where's the kid?" he asked, stepping back and glancing around.

"In here…" Dib's voice came from the hull of the speeder as he slid himself towards the door. "Can I get a hand?" He gestured to his leg, which had only recently been set. The leg of his pants was torn up to the knee and Danny could see where the break had occurred, because it was still bleeding slightly. The damage had been severe. He was amazed at how well the kid was taking having his leg snapped, especially since he was only maybe eleven or twelve years old.

Danny hovered to his side and snaked an arm behind Dib to support him, then lifted him upright and helped him out of the vehicle. "What happened with you guys? Where's Jazz?" he asked, glancing between the pair. Dib simply pointed to the speeder and shook his head.

"We were ambushed," Sam said quietly. "One of them was waiting for us and he got to Jazz before we could get her out of there. It was him, Danny, the psychic from Maeville."

Danny nodded. "I know. I saw him with Depravity when… you know, when you were being overshadowed." She nodded and he looked over at Clockwork, who was silent as he contemplated. "So the plan. What did you mean by becoming your successor?"

"Exactly what it sounds like, Daniel. I have been in this world a long time, and these portents that befall us were told of long before the birth of the world, before even Depravity was born. It was foreseen that you would succeed me."

"I'm not a ghost though, I'm just a kid," Danny said, staring at Sam. "I am not nearly powerful enough to take your place, and we don't know if that's exactly what you saw!"

"Perhaps not," Clockwork mused. "Perhaps it was only a path that might wind its way through our journey, but for now, let us assume that it is still a possibility. If harm should befall me, Daniel, you will be my successor, and you must not let her hold time at any cost. Do you understand me?"

He nodded, silently shifting his eyes to the floor. "Is there any way to change this? To go back and stop this from happening? Like the way we did with the other me," Danny supplied, his voice hopeful. Clockwork considered him. "I mean, if we were able to stop me from becoming..." he paused, pointing at the black mark on the wall. Sam glanced between Danny and the mark, then suddenly realized what he meant.

"Danny, did you kill...?" she began.

"I've a message from the unholy Lady," another voice said, and Danny turned his eyes on Jaston, who approached them cautiously.

"What do you want?" Danny snarled, his fists glowing. "We already killed you once, can't that be enough for you to back off?"

"I'm here for business, not pleasure," he said quietly. "Depravity would like me to bring you word that you must meet her on the battlefield. She said you'd know which one she meant."

Danny didn't respond. He knew exactly which one she was talking about, on the outskirts of a dead city he used to call home. He sighed.

Jaston took the silence as an opportunity to depart, and did so quickly before either the girl or smaller boy had time to bring up the messy business of Jasmine. He vanished through the hole he'd appeared from. Danny turned to face Sam and Dib, then after surveying the damage both of them had sustained, asked warily, "What happened to Jazz?"

They both stared at the ground. Sam spoke first. "We went to go pick her up but... we were met by him. He attacked us, knocked me out first."

"Then I tried to stop him from getting to Jazz. He kept saying he was gonna take something from her... an orb or a sphere or something. It didn't make sense, but he broke my leg and then... I never really saw what he did to her. I only heard her scream."

Danny closed his eyes and tried not to imagine what had happened. "Got any light to shed on that, Clockwork?" he murmured.

"I may. But it is a very long story, and there isn't much time for exposition."

Danny nodded and cast a look back at Vlad, who Sam was staring at avidly. "Okay then, give me a summary on the way. I need to know what's going on if I'm gonna beat her.

"So… to Amity Park then?" Dib asked, leaning heavily on Danny to steady himself.

"Guess so."

* * *

Zim's lab was a mess. Some of the green rot had begun seeping through the floors and rusted away at valves and pipes, making it look ancient and decrepit. He muttered angrily to himself under his breath and dragged Gir through the mess until he came to the console he had been searching for. "Computer, calculate the density of the planet pre-infection," he demanded. "And then calculate the degeneration by the parasite."

"CALCULATING," the computer blared.

"Now, calculate the remaining time until the Earth is overtaken and destroyed, and how much time it would require to reverse the infection."

"Sir?"

"Just do it!"

"Calculating…"

Zim sat in his chair and waited. "Calculation complete."

"Display results."

The computer did as commanded and the information flickered up on the large screen. "Time required and time available are dangerously close," the computer said.

"I see that," Zim grumbled. "Computer, locate sample owner," he said and deposited a bit of silver hair.

"Sample owner located here," it replied, and a map appeared on the screen.

"There again? Hasn't enough happened there already? Never mind. Computer, ready the cruiser. I have a plan."

"Great," it groaned sarcastically.

Zim growled at the computer. "Where's the ghost thing?" Zim asked into his watch. Dib's face flickered into view.

_"Er... right here. Why?"_

"I have a plan."

* * *

Still as much of a wasteland as it was the last he'd set eyes on it, Amity Park was still a barren and foreign pit of sad memories for Danny. He walked through empty city streets, littered with debris and the bones of people he might have known a long time ago. It was silent, where even a breeze didn't flow through. The sky had turned a shade of apocalyptic red that made him almost wish for the dark, swirling black and green of the ghost zone. The red made him feel like he was walking into his death. Then again, he probably was.

He'd managed to find a new shirt to replace his old, tattered one, remarkably similar to what he remembered wearing what felt like a hundred years ago, when in truth it had only been half that time. As he walked with his hands stuffed in his pockets, he glanced to his left and right. Clockwork had agreed to accompany him to the field, but by recommendation from Sam, had decided to move away from the fight. It was too risky to be around when his... essence, or whatever he'd called it, was still in danger of being snatched. If Depravity had that, there was no hope left. Not that there was much to begin with. The earth still trembled erratically, the wildlife had all either killed one another or gone insane. There was nothing living, nothing stirring that had friendly intentions. The only thing he figured might still be sane-thinking might be humans, and most of them were too busy panicking to organize and fight back. But how did one fight dying plants and unruly water?

"I'll stall her as long as I can," Danny muttered. "But I can't make any promises. If you don't get that thing working, I don't know if I can... kill her."

Clockwork simply nodded. "We'll do what we can. She's expecting me to join you."

"How do you...?"

"Because, if you recall, I know everything."

"Yeah I know... Skulker, you ready?" he said into the watch.

_"As ready as I can be, under the circumstances. Are you sure this will block the signal for Technus and I?"_

"If they got the calculation right, then yeah. If nothing else you'll just be out of action for a few minutes."

_"If you say so."_

Danny paused at the top of the hill overlooking the field. "I guess it's time then."

"It is. Take caution, this will likely be a painful experience for you." He disappeared in a whirl of clock hands. Danny stared at the spot the master of time had been.

"This sucks," he said to himself and kicked a rock at his feet. "Alright, time to get moving."

The walk from Amity Park to the place that Depravity stood felt like an eternity, but it didn't last long enough for him. A heavy wind blew around him as he walked, raking through his raven hair as he walked slowly, blue eyes fixed on the pale-pigmented girl that stood with one hand on her hip.

"It's been a long time, boy," she said in almost a whisper. Her words were met with a vicious glare.

"Not long enough. What do you want, Depravity? Haven't you already caused enough damage?" he snapped, hands clenched into fists.

"Now that's no way to treat the ruler of your world, is it?" she crooned, and chuckled. "But you raise a point. This planet has sustained quite a lot of damage."

"Yeah, kinda like your sanity," he growled.

Her eyes glinted. "Now now, that wasn't very nice."

"Truth hurts."

She flashed him a glare. "I'm not here to exchange witty banter with you," she growled. "I'm here to settle our past. You have something I want."

"Yeah I know, some stupid sphere that Clockwork has. You're not getting it, no matter how much you try to pound on me."

"Well there's that," she said thoughtfully. "But there's something else that I didn't get last time that I swore I'd take from you."

Danny paused. "Look, lady, you're sick. I know you want to rip out my heart and all, but you seriously need to get over it."

She laughed then, something insane and maniacal that Danny had almost forgotten, but reawakened a terror in his gut that he remembered from a long time ago. The memory of her fingers probing his organs came to mind…

"Funny little boy. But look, see the sky? I'm sure you know what that means."

"Matricide?" he offered, not shifting from his stance. He couldn't remember the last time he'd spent so long in human form.

"You could call it that, but she was no mother. She was a creator yes, a deity maybe, but a mother she was not. And when I find the rest of my 'siblings' I'll let them go see whatever she's become for themselves." She was slowly becoming aggravated, he noticed. That was something, some aggression he could play on. This would be different from their last fight. There would be no one to take the hit for him, no one distracting them, no end of the world stakes. It was just Danny, Depravity, and life or death. And if he was lucky, Vlad wouldn't let him down this time.

* * *

"Are you sure this plan is going to work?" Skulker asked tersely. He didn't like it one bit, and neither did Technus. Vlad wasn't surprised at all, but he and Danny hadn't been able to think of any other way.

"Well if it doesn't, we're out of luck anyways so I don't see why it matters. You'll be restored to full power as soon as we take her out of commission."

Skulker glared at the large capsule and grumbled. "I still don't like this."

"Well if you can think of another way to deactivate her and damage the incoming fleet I'd love to hear it," Vlad snapped. "But if not, stop complaining."

"Enough fighting," Clockwork said wearily. "We have plenty more to worry about. Now, if this goes as planned, Daniel should be able to fight her on an even playing field."

"What if I made the field uneven in his favor?" supplied another voice, one that Vlad did not recognize.

"Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Silence, earth pig," he said indignantly. "I have something that may interest you," he directed at the shifting body of Clockwork, who eyed him with consideration.

"And what might that be?"

"Something I've been holding on to for a long time."

"Oh?" Clockwork said, arching an eyebrow. "And how might that aid us now?"

"Well, if it doesn't kill him, he'll be able to kill her."

* * *

"_It is time_," the voices rumbled. Several half-living corpses were milling around the hole in the cavern ceiling that had been made previously, staring with avid curiosity at the light spilling in through the opening. "_Bring the world of light down, bring them to feed us. The children need nourishment_."

The corpses jerked as though understanding and crawled through the muck. They twisted and writhed through the hole, clambering to the top as quickly as their decaying limbs would allow. There were others there, examining the giant void in the ground. Contractors, construction workers, all of them peering down through the grime and mud as they considered the best way to fix the issue. But they never got the chance to contemplate it further, because right about then, the first corpse shot up through the gunk and screeched, latching itself to the nearest man and biting down hard on his forearm.

"WHAT IS THIS!" he shrieked and fought to free himself. "GET IT OFF!"

More spewed forth, a combination of moving, rotting bodies and tiny little balls of tentacled slime. The streets of New York ran with blood, people screamed. One man who'd been repairing a telephone wire suddenly lurched and smashed face-first into the wire, sending sparks shooting down as the electricity passed through the little ball of metal and slime that grappled its way into the man's head.

Zim hovered above the carnage, staring at the havoc and mayhem that spilled from street to street, like a flood bubbling from the hole. "Yuck," he said to himself. Gir laughed to himself about something Zim dared not fathom. "Are you ready, Dib-worm?" he asked through the watch.

"_Ready enough I guess. The ghosts are in position. You have the bomb?_"

"Yes yes, I have it. You have the cuff?"

"_In my pocket. We're almost back in Amity Park, won't be too long and we can get him the weapon._"

"Fine, but the bomb won't mix properly for at least four more hours. If he can't hold the crazy thing off, it won't matter."

_"We'll do our best. Just make sure that... thing doesn't eat you while you're down there."_

"You did all the calculations right? This will get both of them?"

_"It better, I don't think we'll have another shot."_

Zim shrugged. He probably wouldn't survive to the end of the battle anyway, so he wasn't sure it'd matter. But he'd do his part, and that would be it.

_"Zim, the first shot will seriously damage your pack if you don't get into the shield in time, so if you don't make it, SHUT DOWN."_

He rolled his eyes. "You think it'll be that powerful that it can damage MY equipment?"

_"It has to be. If it can't shut you down, it can't shut her down either."_

Zim had to admit, he had a point. If the pack went down for more than 10 minutes, he'd probably die. So he grunted in agreement. "Fine, earth larva. We'll do it your way."

_"Good, now get that thing in place before they figure out what we're up to. If we lose our element of surprised, we're-"_

"Yes, yes, I get it." Zim killed the connection and steered to a quiet landing a few blocks from the hole. He glanced around and, after he was satisfied that he and Gir were alone, four metal legs sprang out of the pack and shot him down the street. "Let's go, Gir!" he shouted, and the little robot disguised as a dog laughed loudly.

"IT'S A CLOWN!" he screeched and flew after Zim, his tongue hanging out of the side of his gaping mouth. Zim cringed as he realized that Gir was a serious liability, and that proved to be every bit true as a couple of walking corpses came around the corner of the building ahead of them and started screaming at the top of their reanimated lungs.

"GIR!" he shouted, clenching his fists tightly. "Argh, c'mon Gir! Evasive maneuvers!"

"Okie dokie!" it said, saluting as its little eyes turned red for a moment. He zoomed up underneath Zim and began spiriling uncontrollably.

"AAAAHHHH!"

More screams issued from the gaping maws of the corpses as they chased them down. "FASTER GIR!" he shouted.

* * *

"Okay, so that's it? You're gonna talk me to death?" Danny yelled across the field.

She laughed, loudly and wickedly. "If you want a fight, then I'll let you have one!" she said, almost too eagerly. "Are you really planning to fight me in that form? You can barely withstand the damage with your powers, but without them..." she said, folding her hands behind her back and stepping lightly towards him. "Well, you're not much of a threat now are you?"

"Heh, guess not." He hadn't actually fought anyone very aggressively with his ghost powers, save for Xanu once or twice, but it hadn't been a real test. The ghost zone had done a number on him, which the others had only faintly guessed at. In the time he'd spent there, he'd only ever needed his powers for minor scuffles to settle the odd dispute between restless spirits. Never had he fought on a level that had required the use of ghost rays, ectoblasts or even the ghostly wail... that is, until he'd fought Dan Phantom and blasted him all over Clockwork's fortress.

But because of the complacency of the zone, Danny's power reserves and the fire had retreated back into dormancy. Before, it had just been locked down by a deep-rooted phobia of being responsible for the pain and problems his friends and family would endure if he let it out, but now it was just so deeply dormant that he had no idea how to coax it out again. He'd sure as hell try to bring it out though.

A pair of white rings appeared at his waist and split. The t-shirt and jeans were replaced by his signature black jumpsuit, adorned with the D on his chest. Blue eyes flashed to green. "Fine then, let's get this over with," he said, hovering slightly off the ground.

"My pleasure, freak!" she shouted gleefully and hurled herself at him.

"Distract her," he muttered to himself. "Keep her busy, make her mad, make sure she doesn't want to look anywhere else but me." He kicked off from the ground and streaked straight into the air, pulling a flip and blasting a pair of ectoblasts directly down at her. She skidded to a halt and twisted around, narrowly avoiding the hot bolts of ecto-energy. "What's the matter nut-ball, not fast enough to hit me?"

She paused and her muscles tensed. "Don't you dare call me that," she snarled and kicked off from the ground, soaring after him. She rose her left hand and thrust it forward, firing a volley of daggers at him.

He went intangible and they passed right though him, and then he returned fire with a dual-handed blast of ice. "Can't handle the truth, psycho?" he taunted, zipping high and left to avoid a giant ball of fire that hurtled towards him. "Guess you really haven't changed at all!"

"If you're so eager to die, all you had to do was ASK!" she shrieked, lifting her hands up and forcing a spark between them, then thrusting the resulting lightning directly towards his face.


	17. Sickness

**_Danny Phantom_**

**_Invasion_**

_Author's Notes: Just a heads up, this is going to be a very long chapter, and many of the chapters after this will likely be as long. I appreciate the reviews, and thank you to everyone who provided the positive feedback. I'll be updating as frequently as possible from here out since this story is two years in the making and there's still plenty left. Also note that I have updated this chapter with an expanded fight scene, so make sure you check it again if you haven't already. But I won't keep you any longer, here's chapter seventeen. _

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Sickness**

**

* * *

**

If Danny had to choose a phrase for what he was doing, he would call it baiting a rabid beast. There was absolutely no sense he could see, from any other stand point, for what he was doing, and that was taunting Depravity. Any creature, sentient, mortal, or otherwise, that was _named_ by someone else, not itself, Depravity, was probably not something or someone that one would consider putting their fingers in the mouth of. What was worse was her rapidly deteriorating mental condition. Danny surmised that with her new body, some of her old mental instability had been drowned out by the cold, calculating malice she had been exercising as of late in order to exact her plans upon the world, and much of her insanity had been toned down by the advanced machinery that composed her new figure. However, what Danny knew was that insanity, especially on a level where she was willing to rip out his beating organs and literally put them in her mouth just to watch him suffer and squirm, was too much for any piece of technology to keep reigned in for any significant amount of time, and by his estimate, her time was running short.

In more ways than one.

So when Danny realized that she was already angered to the point of throwing fireballs and lightning at him, he knew that he was dancing a very thin and deadly line. He had an edge this time though that he hadn't during their previous encounter, before he'd had to kill her, and that advantage was that he hadn't already used up the majority of his power or energy by fighting four battles before engaging Depravity. This time he was more prepared. But it still felt too similar to their last fight. Sam was still waiting in the wings, he had a few allies from back home, and Tucker was gone. Well, as far as they knew, he'd never been found or seen or heard from after he'd literally saved Lancer from being skewered.

But right now wasn't the time for contemplating, because he was staring at a giant lance of electricity that was arcing towards him at awe-inspiring speeds. At what felt like the last second he pulled into a steep dive and narrowly avoided lighting up like a bulb, feeling the heat it generated even through the fabric of his suit, like he was standing too close to an open oven. The crackling energy flashed past him and kept going, flying off into the distance and eventually coming to a stop when it impacted hard on a skyscraper in downtown Amity Park. Three floors of glass windows shattered and exploded, and he could see at this distance the tongues of flame that engulfed the building and threatened to devour it.

"What the hell was that?" Danny asked with wide eyes, guessing at what might have happened if he'd taken the blow. The lightning had been hot enough to start twisting the metal framework of the skyscraper and the beams buckled, floors crashing down on one another as the entire mass of steel and glass went imploding to the ground.

"You're not afraid of a little hot energy, are you kid?" she asked in a low, dangerously gleeful voice. "So, what say you to just falling over dead so I don't have to waste my energy to kill you?"

Danny smirked. "That's not how it works, Dee."

Her eyes narrowed. "Cute."

"Look Depravity, we had this discussion last time. I know that all you are on the inside is a twisted little girl who just wanted her mother's love, but that doesn't give you the right to make the entire world suffer for it. I want to help you. You refused last time, but you were also at peace when you died, so I think there may be hope for you yet. There is always a choice to do right, to help people, to stop their suffering. I know that even though you embody everything that is supposed to be evil, you aren't only dictated by your nature, and a lot of what you are and believe was hardwired into you without your consent. I understand that. But you have a choice, Depravity! You don't have to be wicked or evil, you don't even have to be unhappy! You can be good, and kind, and happy, and I know you can be because I've _seen_ it." It was the truth. For a moment in their fight as Danny had been severing the wicked spirit's connection to her mortal flesh and the mortal world, there had been a brief connection between the two, and in what had only spanned a few seconds, Danny had witnessed an eternity of memories, both happy and sad, and many were painful.

She only stared at him, her face unreadable. "Just come with me. We can kill the virus together, we can patch things up and fix the world. Look at it! It's falling apart, and we can fix it. I can help you, but you have to let me." And then Danny extended his hand. He held it there for a long time as she stared at it, her face carrying looks of curiosity and skepticism. She hovered towards him.

"You truly only want to help me?" she asked him quietly.

He nodded. "I'll help you Depravity, but you have to let me."

She stopped a couple feet from him, staring at his hand like it was a strange and foreign bit of anatomy. Neither moved, and the only sound was from the occasional cracking of the burning building in Amity Park. Danny thought he saw something that looked almost like acceptance, vulnerability, maybe even longing in Depravity's red eyes. Somewhere in there was a scared little girl who was just looking for someone to care about her. Maybe the little girl would be able to bring her rage into check. Danny knew it was a long shot, that the odds of overcoming such anguish and fire was slim at best. But that didn't stop him from trying. He hovered still as a statue, hand extended, his eyes locked on Depravity.

Slowly, she reached for his hand.

* * *

Zim was cursing his luck, not only because he was being chased by walking corpses, but because even though he was almost where he needed to be, there was always going to be something in the way of him completing his task, be it an attack by the bodies of people who had long since perished and had been tossed in as cannon fodder for the infection to throw at the panicked humans that ran screaming through the city, or the little slimy tentacle balls that were skittering everywhere, devouring people's brains. In this case, it was that the hole he had originally made, the one the spawn had used to break free into the world above, and the only structurally sound way to get to the breeding chamber without a potential collapse, was plugged up with bodies. They were built up and overflowing from the mouth of the tunnel, making him slap a palm to his forehead.

"My luck," he growled. He tapped the watch and it flickered to life. "Earth monkey, I've hit a snag."

Dib's face blurred into view. _"Hilarious. What's the problem?"_ he asked. Zim twisted his wrist, angling the communicator at the hole. Dib's mouth was slightly agape as he watched bits of corpses pour out of the ground like an overflowing tank. It almost looked like a geyser preparing to shoot. _"That is a problem,"_ Dib said, and Zim faintly heard the clicking of Dib rapidly tapping keys as he tried to recalculate a line of entry. _"Okay, so you need to get in somewhere that they're not going to be pouring out of. Digging your way in will draw too much attention."_

"And take up too much time."

_"That too. So from what I can tell, there is one other way into the breeding chamber."_

"Good, what is it? Tell me now."

_"You're not going to like it."_

Dib had never been more right. Zim shuddered and gagged as he made his way through the sewer, metal legs attached to the ceiling and gliding him along the stench-ridden tunnel. "It reeks like human in here," he said through his hand, which was covering his mouth. His eyes were nearly shut, not wanting the disgusting human stink to touch his eyes.

_"Stay focused, Zim! You're almost there, but you have to be quick. There's a rotating fan that you're going to want to be careful with, it's not moving very fast but if you get stuck it could dice you up, so watch out."_ Zim simply shrugged, then while Gir placed his head in front of the fan blades and giggled insanely, Zim marched through unharmed. Gir stood and followed, the fan making odd grinding noises as it lurched back into rotation. He continued on through the tunnel. _"Okay here, turn into the access hatch on the right side, near the ceiling." _Zim located it quickly, and while two legs continued to suspend him over the slimy filth that oozed through the sewer tunnel, the other pair was lasering the locks off the access hatch. It fell into the sludge after clattering off the wall and Zim slid into the hole, careful not to impale himself on the super-heated metal where the locks had once been. _"Now there's a hole up ahead, don't fall through it or you'll die."_

"Die how?" Zim asked, peering down through the hole. It looked like an endless pit below, and then a warm glow began to light the darkness. Zim's eyes bugged as the entire chamber below was engulfed in flame. "Never mind."

_"Okay, now the next right turn should take you right into the chamber after about 100 feet. Make sure it's unblocked when you get through, and don't alert the spawn or they'll try to disarm the bomb. How long until the chemicals mix?"_

Zim glanced at the hologram his pack displayed before him. "Three hours, twenty minutes. At T – 10 minutes, the alert flashes. What about yours?"

_"The program kicks in and starts booting about 20 minutes before the chemicals detonate. Should be enough force to knock her out on this end, and if those chemicals are as corrosive as we think they are, there won't be much left of the spawn once it goes off. Now, you probably won't have signal while in the chamber so whatever you do, don't get into trouble because we won't be able to contact you. When you get out, let us know and we'll send one of the ghosts to pick you up."_

"Zim needs no escort!" he said indignantly.

_"No but time is of the essence, so if you can't get here fast, someone will get you here. And don't forget, if you don't get into the field before our side goes off-"_

"I know, find a safe place and shut down."

_"Okay, good luck." _

Zim tapped the watch again and cut the transmission, then crept slowly up to the exit of the sewers and peered out into the chamber. The… thing, the monster, whatever it was, had grown. And not just in size, but in its relative body count had significantly increased. Remembering their last encounter, he quickly commanded his pack to encase him in a electromagnetic sphere, effectively preventing the giant mass of metal and tentacles from sniffing him out. Slowly but steadily, the little Irken made his way along the ceiling of the cavern, using the jutting rock formations as leverage to weave his way to the center, right over the writhing mass that he assumed had once been Xanu.

Gir had followed him, unable to laugh or snicker, or otherwise alert the disgusting things below them. Zim had thought ahead and removed Gir's audio circuit, so that the little robot could no longer utter a sound. He could hear perfectly fine, but it was too risky to allow him to speak. He dangled from a leash that protruded from the pack, spinning around and allowing it to twist up and then release, effectively dizzying him. But he was entertained and quiet, so Zim paid him no heed.

Carefully he removed the bomb from where it had been strapped to his chest and lodged it into the muck and stone in the cavern ceiling, taking care to fuse it into place with a very short, very hot flicker of plasma that melted steel to stone and locked the device into place. He doubted very much if it could be removed by anything less than a very large hammer, wielded by someone with superhuman strength. Perhaps even that might give them difficulty. He glanced down and gulped once, fearing what might happen should he fall. After a calming breath he returned his focus to the device and started tapping buttons. Two jars of fluids appeared, one white the other black, and they were mixing together. It looked almost like someone had pureed a zebra and dumped it into the tanks, which Zim would find incredibly amusing if his life weren't in peril.

He tapped another sequence of buttons and then a string of numbers, and a clock appeared on the display. At first it read English, and then rearranged into letters that he recognized to be the manuscript of his people. His eyes flicked over the characters and he nodded to himself satisfactorily, then began pulling wires and parts from the pack.

Gir continued to spin over and over, whirling around in a giant circle, and then suddenly breakfast was haunting him. Zim stopped, and then cursed all the divine powers in the universe for his terrible, terrible luck.

* * *

Six hundred fifty miles away, three ghosts and Dib were huddled around a very large, menacing piece of machinery. Two of the ghosts were looking at it with mixed expressions of hate and fear, while the third ghost aided the boy with preparations. Skulker and Technus both were incredibly nervous around the bomb, and for good reason. One false move could set it off and scramble their circuits, an experience they might not recover from at such a close proximity. Skulker, who was encased in an ecto-skeletal suit, would fare much better than Technus, whose life source and energy was solely dependent on the presence of electricity and electronic devices. Take that out and he was as good as toast.

Skulker knelt warily beside the third ghost, sporting a faintly magenta suit and cape and a bad haircut. Vlad glanced up at Skulker. "Well don't just stand there, help out so we can move this into position."

"Why have we not taken the bracelet to the ghost child, so he may use it to crush the crazy woman once and for all with its power-enhancing abilities?" Technus asked loudly, earning him a glare from his three companions.

"First off," Dib started, picking up a screwdriver and working quickly to tighten the fastening screws that held the base together, "it's a cuff, not a bracelet. The cuff is supposed to be worn on the left wrist so that it catalyzes the blood flowing to the heart. And second, we can't bring him the cuff until after this thing goes off, or it'll short-circuit his entire nervous system and kill him."

"And that would be counterproductive," Vlad added, twisting a canister into place and screwing it down.

Dib nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. But when we get it to him, whoever does it has to be careful, because if you get caught in the cross fire it's game over."

Skulker pondered this. "Well, who's faster?" he asked, glancing between himself and his three companions. Of them, he surmised that he was probably the faster, since he did have rockets in his back, but he'd be well out of commission by the time it came to get the weapon to the ghost boy, so he was out of the question. Vlad was tasked with something else, and therefore unavailable to do the job. Dib was only a child, and the others needed him to monitor the bombs to assure that they detonated at precisely the same moment, or their plans would fail anyways.

"I'll do it," came another voice, more feminine and softer than the others. Skulker turned and viewed the goth girl as she approached, tying her hair up as she walked. "I still have the specter speeder, and I can get in and out fast. And I've dealt with her for fifty years. I should at least be able to help bring her down, if only for me," she added quietly, her eyes fixed on the ground. The metal-clad ghost could only imagine the horrors she'd been forced to endure, trapped inside her own mind while another creature took her body for a 50-year long joyride. That was probably the mild side, since when overshadowed, as Sam had been, she had seen, and been present, for everything that had happened, watched herself do terrible things to other people and not be able to do anything but stare in horror. It was a grim fate for anyone.

The others agreed, and set to work on the machine.

* * *

He could feel the chill of her cold, steely fingers as she slid her hand into his. It was a slow motion, almost like a lover's caress, and Danny watched with an air of caution, his breath held in his chest. Her face was flat, empty, devoid of all emotion and expression. Her eyes though, that was what unsettled him. She stared at him as though dead, her eyes glassy and seeing something through him, beyond him maybe. What he did know, however, was that Depravity had lowered her guard, gotten close enough to Danny to touch him and hadn't tried to rip him limb from limb.

It was a start. Danny slowly released the air in his chest and swallowed. He didn't dare say anything, because he simply couldn't read her. The way she worked, he wasn't even sure allowing her this close was wise, but he'd live up to his promise, and if she was going to let him, he was going to help her no matter what the cost. She stared at their joined hands, silent and still, almost like she were sleeping.

"I had plans, you know," she said quietly. "I was going to take everything away and remake the world anew, with no more hate or anger. I was going to make life better for the next ones to live here..."

And then she started to tremble. Her eyes closed, and her expression changed. Something gleamed in her eyes that Danny didn't like. But it was too late, because her hand had slid up from his palm and latched onto his wrist. She hung her head, and tears streamed from ruby eyes. "You have no... no idea..." she stammered. "You DON'T KNOW A FUCKING THING!" Now she was screaming, her body trembling. "You could never know what I suffered, what pain I endured at the hands of my so-called 'family' and their stupid rules. They MADE ME. I am a result of their sickness. I AM their sickness! I AM THE SICKNESS OF THE WORLD!" she shrieked.

Danny stared at her, wide-eyed at her sudden shift. He couldn't break his wrist free from her tensile grip, no matter how he squirmed. It was official: she'd lost it.

Then she started laughing, a terrible thing that reminded him of a horror movie with a 10-year old girl wearing pigtails and blood and holding a knife.

"Danny, Danny, Danny..." she sang, peering up at him through her own raven locks. Danny opened his mouth to speak, but there wasn't time, because before he could speak a word, her muscles had tensed. "Wanna play Danny?" she said and turned, jerking Danny up and over her left shoulder. With surprising strength she flung him at the ground. A mushroom cloud of dirt and smoke billowed up as Danny was smashed into the ground, breaking through rocks and layers of dirt, bits of broken stone tumbling down onto him. The wind left his lungs and he frantically sucked down oxygen while his lungs screamed at him for doing something so foolish. But Depravity bore down on him, her voice like a thousand screeching banshees, screaming at the top of her artificial lungs.

A ball of white-hot fire shot down at him and impacted. Another cloud of dust went into the air. Depravity had begun shaking again, for what reason was beyond normal comprehension. Danny hovered out of the ground, his body opaque from the intangibility. "Too close," he muttered to himself. He rubbed his wrist and brushed the ashes off his scorched suit. "Way too close." He looked up to see white knuckles collide with the bridge of his nose, the impact of which threw him, shot him so far across the field that when he finally landed, he was several hundred feet away, crashing and tumbling hard into the dirt and rolling, finally, to a stop. But he got no reprieve, because still she bore down on him, a laugh so wicked it made his stomach knot up and his chest constrict, fists flying and with every intention of breaking his bones into fragmented little pieces, cold steel looking for warm flesh to crush.

Now by all accounts, Danny was fast. He could dodge bullets at times, if he was aware of it. But with the force and speed she was pummeling him, there was no possible way that any speed he could muster would help him. Her fists machine-gunned into him over and over and over again, smashing into every bit of Danny she could find. Her left fist smashed hard across his cheek bone and he flew again, arcing high and then down and crashing hard through the roof of an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. He landed on his chest, pushed himself to his knees, and allowed himself to cough up a blob of sanguine before wiping his face and surveying the damage. He was almost positive his nose was broken, and at least three of his ribs were fractured. So far he'd avoided any severe damage to vital organs but the fight was still young and Depravity had plenty of time to rip him limb from limb. That didn't seem to be her goal yet though, so he was fortunate with that respect. And then he saw his good fortune flicker and die.

He sank through the floor as flames sprang to life and tore through the house like a newspaper in a forest fire. The heat, even while intangible, was enough to make the air in his chest feel thick and heavy, and it made him choke. The house was vaporized in a matter of seconds.

"Danny, Danny, Danny…" she sang again, followed by a little cackle that put wicked men everywhere to shame. "You see this?" she asked, pointing to a little dent in her cheek, a souvenir that Danny had left when he'd gone to rescue Sam. "This is why I'm going to kill you, because you marked me." She was still singing, and it was chillingly terrifying. "You marked my face, my body, hell you probably marked my soul too. But the thing about some marks is that they can be _burned_ off!" And then she started screaming again. Something white hot and terrifying exploded and licked the ground, the lightning turning the dirt white-hot and then hotter, eventually evaporating it with a huge puff of black smog.

And that was Danny's cue to get away from the ground as fast as possible, as he shot up and out of his hiding place, straight up, away from the heat, with all the speed he could muster. And Depravity streaked after him, leaving a trail of thick toxic smoke and crackling energy. "I am the sickness of the world!" she shouted gleefully and clapped her hands together. Danny turned and felt heat, and then pain, as streams of white collided hard with his chest. Four small explosions smashed into him, throwing the poor ghost boy around like a pinball, a fifth explosion going off and firing him straight into the ground like a gun and leaving him in a small crater filled with charred rocks and ash.

She was still singing, and the sound was terrifying. "_Let's go play, Danny let's go play, and see who survives to the end of the game," _she sang. Her arms flung out and pulsed with white-hot crackling energy. "CATCH!" she shrieked. Danny sat up from his bed of stone and looked up, only to see a lance of crackling electricity gunning for his face. In what felt like the last second he sank into the ground and the bolt of energy exploded where he'd been only a heartbeat previous, the rocks turning red, then orange, and then melting and turning to thick black toxic mist as they evaporated with the heat, and Danny could feel it, though intangible he was, through the rock that made him feel like he was a pot thrown in a kiln for roasting. He pushed himself up away from it, getting as far away as that terrible heat as he possibly could.

He glanced up to see white knuckles smashing into his nose, Depravity was machine-gunning every part of him she could with steel fists. Her knee came up and crushed into his gut, doubling him over as the air flew out of his lungs and her fists came down hard on his back, sending him blasting down to the crater again. He crossed his arms before him and sank through the ground again, this time taking caution to move away as she searched, looking for where he came out so she could throw him right back into the ground again, but couldn't seem to figure out exactly where he'd gone. She hovered to the ground, arms crossed, and stamped her foot.

Even several miles away the tremor was felt as she pouted. "DANNY PHANTOM!" she wailed. "YOU WILL NOT IGNORE ME!"

Danny pushed himself up from the ground, and spun on his heal, dropping into a crouch only a foot from the whining deity and put his hands together, and in pure anime fashion thrust them out, a giant detonation of energy surging out of him and into her gut, illuminating the smog-covered skies with verdant light. Depravity was hurled back, tumbling head-over-heals through the air, and finally crash-landing through the window of a small abandoned house on the edge of Amity Park.

The field was quiet, only the sound of the wind to keep him company.

And then the house began to shine slightly, then brilliantly, a white light bathed it from within. Danny covered his face with his arms as the winds kicked up dust and rolled into him. The house shivered and then shattered, flash-frying with the electric pulse and pluming up into a glorious black cloud. The foundation burned away and the stone beneath it boiled and splashed with volcanic rage.

Before Danny could react, before he could even process what had just happened, he found himself on the ground, his chest searing with pain. He thought his heart might be on fire, and then when he saw the scorch marks in his suit, he realized he'd just been electrocuted.

"You marked me, little boy," her voice said with eerie calm. Her finger tapped the little dent in her chin where he'd punched her during their first encounter in the library. "I don't like marks. I like to make marks, but not on me." Danny stared at her.

"Depravity, listen to me. You're sick, and you need help. Let me-"

"DO NOT PRETEND YOU KNOW WHAT I AM!" she screeched, smashing a foot into the ground. The stone trembled.

"You don't want to hurt anyone, you're just trying to make the pain go away."

"See, you're wrong right there." She snatched him up by the front of his suit and blasted into the air, higher and higher, and Danny felt the temperature drop with their ascent, they'd gone so far into the sky. "I _like_ to hurt people. And my pain? I am pain, I am sickness, I am death. Your death!" she sang, then kicked hard, the blow rounding Danny's chest, and he felt his ribs crack as he went flying, again, into the ground. He stopped himself this time, only a few feet from smashing face-first into dirt, only to have it smashed by her backhand as she zipped under him and hit him. He flew past the glassy hole in the ground where she'd fried the house and bounced of the pavement of a road and into someone's front yard. He coughed. Something sanguine came up, but he wiped it away and got slowly to his feet. He was almost positive she'd fractured at least three of his ribs, but other than he seemed to have sustained minimal internal damage.

That said nothing for his outsides though. He was positive that his nose was at least bruised if not broken, he had to have a nasty black eye, and the parts of him that weren't bruised were cut or scratched from his crash-landings with the ground. He glanced at his watch. "Damn, two more hours of having my ass kicked?" he muttered to himself, then painstakingly took a deep breath. He saw his breath and turned, catching the next punch in his hand. He twisted while holding her fist, his leg coming up and back and slamming across her face, throwing her across the street. She stopped but Danny bore down on her, green ecto-blasts firing from his hands over and over and hitting the ground below her, knocking her up. He flashed to her left and spun, delivering a kick hard to her chest and hurling her across Amity Park's downtown and into a burning building she'd lit up previously, its brother having gone down in a bowl of fire and spreading to its fellows.

The building cracked as she impacted, the foundation literally being torn up from the weight and speed with which she nailed it. The glass windows rippled out from where she hit like onyx water and then shattered.

Danny flew up to meet her again but she'd already vanished from her point of impact. He turned, but a second too late, as her leg came whirling out of nowhere and hit him square in the side of the head, angled down, as he shot hard to the ground again. A green bubble encased him seconds before impact and he bounced once, twice, crashing through the window of an old shop and coming to a halt finally, mostly unharmed except for the whiplash he thought he'd probably gotten from the bouncing. He shook his head to clear it, laying on his back.

But she was there, and he braced himself for impact.

It never came.

Instead, she was regarding him quietly, staring at him as a child might stare at an optical illusion, seeking wisdom from the strangeness of the image. "You are an odd creature, Phantom," she said. "When I was still of mortal... almost mortal form, that is, I tried to kill you and you refused to die. Now I am toying with you, and you are very nearly broken. Why is that?" she asked, pushing herself up to sit on the counter. He got up to his knees.

"I don't know," he said slowly. "I'm guessing it has to do with the annoyingly long time I spent in the Ghost Zone because of your lackey."

"Oh? You couldn't just get back out? Aren't there more than two entrances?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow in genuine interest.

Danny shook his head. "There are millions of natural entrances, but not all of them come out in the right time, so it would be kind of stupid to run through a portal and end up in the 1700's, only to be trapped there."

"I see. And your portal?"

"Locked from the outside. Only way to have opened it was to have blown the door off its hinges."

She pondered the information. "So you were truly trapped in that place for fifty years." Then she laughed, and jerked him up by the front of his suit again. "That means you won't be able to find that stupid power my _Mother_ gave you, right?"

Danny only glared in response.

"Excellent!" she said gleefully and kicked him back out the door. His body turned opaque so he wouldn't end up impaling himself on the broken metal of the door and windows.

He rolled to a halt and leaped to his feet, twisting back and stopping her incoming punch dead. He mimicked her earlier move and jerked her up and over his shoulder, smashing her into the ground. His eyes flashed blue for a moment as his hand swung forward, and he flash-froze her into place. She didn't move at all.

Danny landed, exhaling deeply and then brushing some of the dirt out of his silver hair.

Depravity lit up, first turning white and then completely black, and the ice evaporated. Danny dropped into a blocking stance to stop the punches that inevitably came, glancing off his forearms and shoulders as he tried to stop them from making contact with his chest and face. She feinted a punch and then whipped back, knocking his feet out from under him and then slamming a knee hard into his kidney, and firing him up into the sky, rocketing after him with incredible speed. She laced her hands together and smashed them down on him, sending him shooting at a 45 degree angle through the support beams of a skyscraper and then into a smaller building. The skyscraper began to buckle and she flew through it after him. She was glowing again.

Electricity crackled and danced out to the rest of the building, white-hot, the raw energy ashing the metals and stone as they came into contact with her. Fire ripped out from her as she flew and blazed blue as she came for him.

"WHERE'S YOUR ETERNAL POWER NOW?" she screamed, bringing her hands up and thrusting them down, and more energy lanced out and impacted.

The building detonated.

* * *

Sam turned the little red gadget over in her hand. It looked terribly familiar. She and Clockwork had been waiting for what felt like hours, and in all likelihood, it probably had been, as she waited for the signal from Dib to take the weapon to Danny and help him win the war. But that wasn't the only thing on her mind. The others had been so focused on killing Depravity and the disgusting rot underneath New York, but Sam was thinking about what they would be doing _after_ they had stopped the world from being destroyed. How where they going to fix the damage? If, by what Clockwork had told them, the world was dependent upon the essences being restored to a host, didn't that mean that someone was going to have to fill the spots? He had said that deities are unaffected by time, that they resided _outside_ of the time stream, and so if they died, it wasn't as simple as turning back the clock to save them.

Did that mean someone had to take their places?

"It's almost time," the master of time said, staring off into the distance, where a plume of black smoke shot into the air.

"How much longer til they go off?" Sam asked, staring in the direction of the mushroom cloud. She felt the adrenaline pumping into her as she feared for what had caused that deadly explosion.

"Just under an hour. You will need to get into position before the device goes off, or you will be without transportation."

"Um... about that," Sam muttered. "How am I getting back?"

"The effects will only last ten minutes, but for any electrical device that is still functioning, it will fry the circuits. Make sure you shut your vehicle down."

Sam heaved a deep breath. "Okay. I think I'm ready now." She lifted her wrist and said into the watch that Dib had given her, "How are you guys on that end?"

Dib's face flickered into view. _"Almost done. Just about ten more minutes and it'll be operational. The bomb Zim planted is broadcasting but we haven't heard from him, so far so good."_

She nodded. "And the shield is operational?"

_"Er... not quite. Technus is working out the bugs right now. If it's not operational by the 20-minute mark, Skulker is gonna shut down. We'll have to manually reboot him or his circuits will fry."_

"That doesn't sound pleasant."

_"Well I can't imagine that it is. Are you about ready to take the thing to Phantom?"_

"Danny," she corrected. "Yeah, I'm gearing up the speeder right now. Clockwork is going to finish up the last bit of work in the Zone, he said he'll meet up with you guys when he finishes. Oh, and Dib," she added, "Don't forget that there's still two of her lackey's unaccounted for. Miriana and Jaston are probably lurking in the shadows somewhere, so make sure if they show up again, you're ready."

_"I won't be much good with my leg like this but I think I've got some protection. This Plasterous guy."_

"His name is Plasmius," Sam corrected again, moved to laugh at such a silly name, and making a mental note to bring it up to the second of two half-ghosts in existence that he'd been called Plasterous by a 12-year old. It seemed oddly funny despite the dire circumstances. "Okay, I'm gonna move. Wish me luck, I'll need it."

_"Good luck, and if you hit trouble, hit the panic button. We'll get there as fast as we can."_

Sam knelt down to check the lacing of her boots and when she was satisfied, fired up the specter speeder. It roared to life. Clockwork took that as a cue to remove himself from the scene, nodded to the Goth girl, and then vanished in a spiral of ticking and clock hands. Sam slid into the driver's seat and closed the door, flipping on the cloaking and strapping herself in. Things were about to get very, very ugly.

* * *

Zim was screaming. Not because he was in pain, but because of the creatures that were stalking him through the sewers. He'd stopped caring about the filth and the rats, his only thoughts that he had to _RUN_ or he was going to die. And Zim wasn't the only one screaming. Behind him were about five hundred reanimated corpses, all of them screaming just as loud as they chased him through the muck and grime. He swung a sharp left and leaped, Gir following quickly behind, and then up through an escape hatch. Two metal legs shoved the manhole cover off while Gir swooped up beneath him and shot them both into the air.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Zim screamed, watching as bodies poured from the manhole and stood, staring at him. He was carrying Gir in one hand and a screwdriver in the other as he worked as fast as his fumbling appendages would allow to "flip the switch," so to speak, on Gir's audio circuit. With a beep it came to life. "Gir, we're running out of time, we need to get to the shield. Can you make it?"

"LET'S DO IT!" the little robot screamed, scooping up Zim as he activated his rockets and blasted away again. Something appeared out of Zim's pack.

"Computer, shut down the base, right now! SHUT IT DOWN!" he roared into the little communication device. He'd have to reboot the entire house when he returned, but it was better than starting from scratch.

The computer complied with his orders and shut down.

They were moving so quickly that Zim couldn't tell how far they'd gone. The countdown read 30:13 and was ticking down faster than he wanted it to.

"We're having a tea party!" Gir said, his little pink tongue sticking out the side of his mouth.

Zim scratched his head and turned, and then realized what Gir had meant: they weren't alone. Behind them chased after one corpse, who was much faster and better equipped than the other rotting bodies, with fire-red hair and black tentacles protruding from her back, and Zim realized who she was, or had been once. "Blast," he growled. "FASTER GIR!"

"I'M GONNA PLAY WITH THE TEA CUPS!" he screeched and moved faster than Zim thought possible for such a small little piece of machinery. It did them no good, she was still gaining on them. But they were making excellent progress, much quicker than that bus had. In minutes they'd traveled over 400 miles, but it was still not enough. She was still hot on their trail. She had almost caught them, and was swiping at the little green alien with writhing tentacles and a clawed fingers. He batter her away and shot at her with one metal leg, sending her spiraling out of control. Zim spotted the landing site, and the pair began their descent.

The timer read 11:07.

* * *

The trip into Amity Park had been an uneventful one until now. From the far side where she'd entered until around the same place as her old manor had once stood it had been silent as a ghost-town's graveyard. But when she crossed the invisible line where suburbia became big city, her take on old Amity Park quickly changed. A meteor-sized fireball flew out of nowhere and crashed into the street in front of her.

Sam braked quickly, grabbed her bag, and rolled out of the driver's side door when she realized that trying to stop fast enough to prevent the imminent impact was a futile effort, and rolled to a halt as the speeder went flying into the inferno and then heated red, then orange, and then yellow and then exploded. She got up and dusted herself off, looking up into the air. About 200 meters off was the glinting white metal of Depravity's body, lit up like a Christmas tree and laughing loudly. Even from where Sam was she could hear it.

Danny materialized out of nowhere and rammed his shoulder into her chest and she flew back, crashing somewhere out of site behind one of the few standing skyscrapers that remained after their apparently violent battle. Another black cloud of smoke had gone up off in the distance. Sam cheered for Danny quietly, a wide smile on her delicate countenance.

Someone grabbed her arm. Not quietly enough, apparently, and she turned.

"You!" she hissed and tried to jerk away.

"Now now, let's not interfere with a fight that isn't ours. Unless you were planning on doing it anyways?" he asked, and dragged her to the middle of town.

She screamed. Danny turned.

"SAM!" he roared, and flashed down, his fists ablaze with emerald fire. "LET HER GO!" Somewhere in Danny's mind he cursed every action movie writer for their cliche damsel-in-distress scenes and made a mental note to arm Sam the next time she came into contact with anyone who could literally carry her over their shoulder.

Then Depravity was there, and he skidded to a halt, both physically and mentally.

"Oh my, it seems this just got interesting!" she said gleefully, and pulled Sam to her by the hair and out of Jaston's clutches. "Your girlfriend was going to surprise you with a present, it seems," she murmured, wide-eyed, pulling Sam's bag from her hands.

"NO!" the Goth girl screamed. Depravity tossed her away, but for Sam it was more like being hurled. She flew over the ground, her velocity sure to shatter her bones when she finally hit the ground. Jaston laughed.

Danny didn't, and kicked off from the ground, diving to catch her before she splattered all over the concrete of Amity's downtown. She felt his arms wrap around her middle and they hit the ground hard and bounced once before skidding, Danny taking the majority of the blow on his right shoulder. He grunted in pain.

"What have we here?" Depravity said, digging through the bag. She tossed some old papers away, and Sam remembered that she'd been carrying her schoolwork for half a century, and imagined Lancer's face if she were to hand it to him. Then Depravity's fingers reached the bottom of the bag and withdrew from it a glinting piece of red metal. "What's this?"

Then Sam was lifted from the ground, Depravity holding the front of her shirt. Danny leaped to his feet and fired towards her, but she held up a hand.

"This scenario seems familiar," Depravity said and giggled. "But I won't stab you this time if you tell me what this is."

"It's... a weapon..." Sam said. Depravity had placed a hand around her throat. "It's supposed to kill you..."

Depravity looked at it. "You were going to put a bracelet on me? I don't really like red." She dropped Sam, who crumpled to the ground. Danny dashed to her and slid to a halt at her side. But when he knelt down to help her, Depravity's knee came up and smashed him hard in the face and he staggered back.

"So you were trying to kill me?" Depravity asked. "You were trying to kill me with a piece of metal? Did I hit you so hard that you lost your mind?" she giggled, and threw him into the ground. "I guess so." She wrenched up his left arm, burned away the fabric of his left glove, and then slammed the cuff onto his wrist.

_Ten…_

"NO!" Sam screamed from her place on the ground, then moved to run to Danny and stop the cuff from latching to him but Jaston was there, pressing his foot into her back, forcing her into the dirt. "DANNY!" she cried, slamming her fists into the ground.

_Nine…_

The red turned to black as the cuff activated.

_Eight…_

The cuff sparked. Depravity began to laugh again, her voice echoing off of the crumbling walls of the buildings around them.

_Seven…_

"You… BITCH!" Sam snarled from the ground. Depravity stopped and turned, and Jaston moved aside. She was eying her with an interest that made Sam think of the look a serial killer would give to his target, but far more terrifying.

_Six…_

"That's not a very nice thing to say, little girl," Depravity whispered, and kicked Sam in the ribs.

_Five…_

Sam cried out in pain and doubled over. She was almost positive that her internal organs had shifted from the blow. She coughed up something dark and thick. "I hope you burn in hell…" she managed.

_Four…_

Danny was convulsing from his place on the ground and the cuff was sparking like a live wire. Sam reached for him, but she wasn't close enough. "Danny…" she cried, half-sobbing.

_Three…_

Depravity started to giggle again. "Stupid little boy," she murmured.

_Two…_

A pair of rings swept over Danny, and he jerked one last time before laying still, breathing heavily and raggedly. Sam tried to crawl to him but everything hurt. She peered at her watch, and covered her head with her arms. Jaston was giving her a quizzical look.

_One…_

And then the world was bathed in white, and distantly, Sam heard Danny scream.


	18. Short Circuit

_****__Danny Phantom_

**_Invasion_**

_Author's Notes: So here we're up to chapter 18. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that chapters 1-5 have been partially updated, with a full update coming in the next few weeks to expand much of the early story, so if you're bored one day, read through and see what might have happened. Chapter 17 was also restored with some originally lost fight scene content so check that out as well if you get a moment. I'll let you get to the story now, enjoy Chapter Eighteen._

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Short-Circuit**

**

* * *

**

_11:06…_

Zim couldn't recall the last time he'd spent so long in fear for his life. To be truthful, he couldn't even recall a time when he had feared for others' lives, either. But right now, Zim was worried. As he rocketed over the blackened skyline of a dead city, avoiding plumes of smoke and bolts of lightning, even giant balls of fire, he wondered what sort of creature could survive such mad and awe-inspiring power, only to remember that it was the ghost boy that was fighting the terrifyingly insane being who was called _Evil_, and from the size of the inferno that had set off the middle of Amity Park, it appeared that the ghost was losing. And so Zim was afraid, and not only for his own life, but for the ghost thing as well.

And normally, he'd be more active about his worries, and probably doing something to make the matter worse, but right now, he had other concerns to worry about. Chiefly among those, the screaming reanimated bag of bones chasing him through the air at speeds that were unfathomable to any living human. And she had nearly caught them, but it seemed that she was nearly too late to act upon her successful pursuit. Nearly.

Zim realized quickly just why she hadn't caught them, as he and the robot he rode like a bicycle plummeted towards the ground. Off to the north he spotted a large glimmering blue beacon, the shield that he was almost out of time to reach before the giant hunk of metal beside it blew and effectively made him brain-dead. "WHY ARE WE FALLING!" Zim screamed, realizing that their plummet downward was in a mostly vertical direction.

"I NEEEEEEEED!" Gir screamed in response. It made no sense, but Zim got the gist of what he meant: Gir was out of fuel, and there was no pushing what he had left.

So Zim tried to think of a plan as a clawed hand came down on him and swiped across the back of his head. Just as she hit him the pair went spiraling forward, propelled through the air by the force of her blow. Zim was screaming again.

Dib had been admiring their handiwork when shrieking had interrupted his thoughts. When he glanced up, he wanted to scream too. So he did. "GUYS!" he yelled, tripping over himself as he ran back to the others and pointed at the sky like a crazed lunatic. Vlad turned and arched an eyebrow.

"What are you babbling about?" he asked, just as Zim literally fell out of the sky and smashed into him with meteorite force. The pair flew several yards back and came to rest in a heap beside the machine. Skulker peered at them from around the other side, then shook his flaming head and went back to work.

"You're lucky you know," Skulker drawled, glancing down at Zim, who was discombobulated from his fall. "You were almost out of t-HEY!" he shouted as another body fell out of the air and smashed into him, knocking him away from his work. He rolled quickly to his feet and turned to a long black tentacle smashing across his face. Again he was knocked back, but not nearly as far, and he threw up his forearms to block the incoming blows. Miriana was clearly mad, or possessed, as she screamed out and attacked over and over, never faltering, though she was never making contact. She never tired, either, and something about the smell she had was making him uncomfortably nauseous.

Vlad turned to assess the commotion once he'd tossed the little green alien off of himself. "Is that… Dr. Madness?" he asked with an eyebrow quirked. In appearance she was, but the essence of Dr. Madness had long since been sucked away, which Vlad quickly realized when she turned and noticed that her flesh had started to decay. She was certainly dead, and she definitely _smelled_ dead, and yet she was still moving around. Wasn't the point of a corpse that it wasn't supposed to move anymore? He sighed, then hovered up and drew back his hand. In his palm appeared bright magenta light, which quickly expanded as he hurled it at her full force. She was thrown back to the ground.

Dib stared at her, seeing the giant gaping hole in her head, transfixed by disgust and horror. "She… she… she…" he stammered, stepping back and tripping over Zim.

"Filthy Earth slime!" he growled and shoved the boy away.

"Look at her head!"

_5:54..._

Zim did, and stared as a small, wriggling pair of tentacles poked out from the top of her blood-crusted copper tresses that were very unlike the black appendages that stuck out of her back. "The spawn!" he said, leaping to his feet. "The infection! It must take carriers from the inside… but I bet it wasn't expecting the host body to die so quickly," he said. "GHOSTS!" Vlad turned slightly, mid-blast. "Don't let it get close enough to change hosts!"

"What?" the hybrid queried, scratching his head, but quickly realized what the little green boy had meant when the ball of slimy tentacles began to force itself out of her mouth. It was growing too large for her delicate frame, and Zim had theorized it was looking for a roomier skull to move into. Vlad visibly gagged and hovered back. "So that's the _spawn_ then?" he asked.

"The parasite, yes," Zim confirmed, moving back and out of her range when she stumbled towards him, covering his mouth. "And she stinks like dead human."

"That's because she _is_ a dead human… sort of," Dib said, hobbling back again with the help of Technus and away from her clawing fingers. They were positioned around her in a circle, moving away as she grew confused, changed targets, and then changed targets again. She stopped and screamed, breathing heavily, then whipped around quickly as the little monster in her head tried to figure out which one of them to attack. They all seemed so… inhabitable.

_"FIVE MINUTES AND COUNTING._" The machine had started emitting a red light. Skulker gulped and stepped into the shield, preparing to shut down if it failed. Miriana eyed him and pounced to attack, and then out of the corner of her eye, a silver glint came flying at her and slammed into her full force.

Gir had appeared out of thin air and rocketed himself right into her chest, sending her sprawling to the ground. "Master! Master!" he called, waving from his spot where he was partially embedded into her ribs. "Go, Master! Go before you get all broken!"

Zim stared at his robot. Never before had Gir indicated that he thought through anything rationally, and now suddenly it had come up out of nowhere. Was Gir trying to sacrifice himself?

It certainly appeared that way.

Before Zim could order Gir to retreat to the shield, a pair of rough hands snatched him up. "NO! LET ZIM GO!" he roared, squirming.

"Stop that, boy! Get into the shield or you're going to fry!" Vlad's voice sounded distant. Zim didn't care. He struggled harder yet, even as he passed through the shield's rippling blue and into the interior, jerking and wiggling to get free.

"GIR!" he called.

The little robot waved, and then was tossed away as the corpse reanimated again. She got to her feet and Gir came flying back, screaming oddities and smashing into her shins. Dib could hear the crack as she went down again, her left leg fractured through the bone.

The body of Miriana screamed and lurched, catching itself on her good leg and swinging the broken appendage around, catching the small sentient piece of metal in the forehead and shooting him back. Time was running short, and even though Gir had proven capable of surviving many things, there was no possible way he'd live through the detonation. Not at the close proximity that he was, which was standing beside it.

Zim's mind was racing. Gir didn't stand a chance to survive the blast, and there was no way to repair him once his memory disk was fried. He'd be no better than a very oddly-shaped paperweight. But Zim, on the other hand…

He stopped thinking then, and started acting. Metal legs sprang from Zim's pack and forced him out of Plasmius' grip and shot him out of the bubble, landing and running him along at top speed. His watch was blaring at him. _"One minute and counting!" _it yelled at him. He nodded and scooped up the little bot as Miriana shot past the spot he had just been standing and slammed face-first into a rock. A sickening crunch echoed from her open skull.

"MASTER!" he shouted gleefully, hugging Zim around the middle. Zim pulled him off, drew his arm back like a pitcher and hurled Gir like a baseball into the sphere. He smacked into Skulker's metal frame and looked up at the giant steel ghost, a wide smile on his face. "HI!"

_"Ten… nine… eight…"_ Zim heard his watch say. Miriana flew at him, her nose smashed and gashes littering her rotting body. Her skin had begun to sag, and she was rank of decomposition, but Zim had stopped caring about her overwhelming stench. He flew along the ground, his legs propelling him forward, right at the machine.

"Come get me!" he challenged, snickering deviously. The monster in her head followed, screeching as her body resisted movement on the broken leg Gir's head had given her. But it didn't relent. "That's right, come to your doom," Zim muttered under his breath.

She screamed again. Dib was reminded of the ancient horror movies he'd seen as a kid where the undead would scream like three monsters sharing one throat. Then she lunged.

_"Three… two… one…" _the watch said and then beeped. The machine clicked, spewed steam, and then Invader Zim saw and heard no more.

* * *

Sam was sobbing for two reasons. The first was the pain shooting in and out of her throbbing abdomen, where she was almost positive that her diaphragm and liver had both ruptured from the blow Depravity had given her. The second was because only three feet from her, Danny was laying on the ground, silent, still, and no longer breathing. But she could barely stay conscious, let alone reach him. She was determined, however, not to die, or let him die, alone, so it was with the last bit of strength in her body that she forced herself over the ground, dragging her broken form over the concrete. She reached out and felt his arm first, still warm. She pushed herself to a sitting position, which she sorely regretted when sharp pains shot up her lungs. She would hate herself for it later, but for now she had other worries.

She shook Danny hard. "Danny…" she murmured. He didn't stir. She shook harder, and still he didn't move, so she began to pound her clenched fist into his chest. Nothing.

Depravity would have been laughing, but she seemed terribly preoccupied.

"Why… why… why…" she kept repeating as sparks flew first from her eyes and nose, and then out of her ears, as Depravity began to convulse. Jaston dashed to the side and out of the way. Her body had begun to jerk wildly, smoke now pouring from her orifices and growing thicker and blacker, the sparks turning to large streaks of electricity that surged up and down her limbs, lighting up her eyes and then zapping away again, crackling in the air.

And then it stopped, her body still and her eyes dim… that is, until she tipped over backwards and crashed hard into the ground, still smoking. Where the metal hull had been standing a shimmering ghost now hovered, with eyes and hair of fire and skin of pure snow, hands clawed and filled with fury. "_Why…"_ it demanded. Depravity's ghost was a terrifying spectacle. Jaston had dropped to one knee in deference to her.

Sam didn't care. She had laid her head on Danny's chest, tears pouring from amethyst eyes. She had failed him worse than anyone in the history of failing, and now he was gone. She couldn't help but shudder with sadness as the grief washed over her and she cursed herself for being so stupid, so foolish, that she had allowed this to happen to him and yet she was still alive to suffer for it. At least he wouldn't feel pain anymore…

White-hot hands jerked her up by the front of her shirt. "YOU!" the ghost screamed. "This is ALL YOUR FAULT!"

_"W…where am I?"_

_"We call dis place 'da crossroads. I'm sure you recognize at least one of 'dese doors."_

_Blue eyes looked around. The great gates, the spiraling vortex, and the calming mist. "Am I… dead?"_

_"Well… dat's da ting here. We don't know."_

_Another voice spoke up. "You are… mostly dead, Eternal."_

_The blue eyes looked around again and spotted not just two others, but twelve figures standing around him, all of them staring. Some of them he recognized, and others he didn't, but they all seemed familiar. "Mostly…?"_

_"Well, you see, your body is damaged. Not beyond repair, but enough that your spirit sought escape before anything severe happened," came a voice that the blue eyes recognized immediately. _

_"Clockwork? I don't understand…"_

_"In time you will, but for now, there is much to tell you, and very little time to do so. I will answer some of your questions."_

_"Who are all of these people?"_

_"They are the ancients. Most of them, that is. The eight here before you are the brothers and sisters of the one you know as Depravity. This here is Malygrimm the reaper, and beside the gates is Cerberus the guardian."_

_The eyes looked around again. He vaguely remember two of the eight, recalling the silver and gold eyes of the smallest of them. Valor and Vigor were identical, save for the color of their eyes. He still had no idea which was which, and he dared not guess. They both grinned at him. Behind them, with her hands on their shoulders, was a taller, slender woman with soft flower-petal eyes and a gentle complexion. On her left was an even taller, fierce-looking individual with vibrant green eyes and a goatee, which he stroked in contemplation. He stood beside a small, stocky girl with glasses and a knowing smile, holding the hand of a timid boy wearing a terrified expression and shivering like a wet cat. _

_Another stepped forward, opening his mouth to speak. He looked very familiar, but with dark skin, white hair, and blue eyes, rather than the pale skin and black hair his twin sister sported. "You've done well thus far, Eternal, but the worst is still to come. Your duty to life has not yet been filled."_

_"I don't know what that means," the eyes said._

_"To put things plainly, the world is on the brink of destruction," Chaste said in a low voice._

_"Fantastic," he said dourly, and looked at the others. "So… why are you called the ancients?"_

_"Because we are, as our name implies, ancient. We were the first of what your people call 'ghosts'. We have been here for a long time, and have altered the events of history as needed so that life may thrive peacefully. Our interventions are rare, but necessary."_

_"Like…?"_

_"Like the one you call Pariah."_

_The eyes gaped at them. "That was you? So you are ghosts, not gods?"_

_"Dear boy, there is no such thing," Clockwork said with a mischievous smile. _

_He was still confused, but he let it pass for later. "Okay… so you're ghosts. Does that mean Depravity is a ghost?"_

_"Mostly."_

_"I don't get it."_

_"She died, and therefore her soul is no longer attached to a living body. By that definition, she is a ghost. But she is malign, and more dangerous than the conventional ghost."_

_"More dangerous…?"_

_"She is an ancient, and is therefore composed of stronger energies than conventional ghosts. She can cause destruction on a massive scale without breaking a sweat."_

_"And I'm supposed to stop her how? I'm dead!"_

_"Not quite dead. And you have a weapon that she doesn't."_

_"Well that 'weapon' is what killed me."_

_"I don't mean the cuff, but it is the reason that you are able to use the weapon I'm referring to."_

_"If you mean my power… it's locked down. I tried to pull it out when I fought her but it's just… too deep down now that I can't anymore."_

_"He's not talking about your power," the angry man said. "He's talking about us."_

_"You…?"_

_"If we were to submit to you and join with you, you would stand a chance of defeating her."_

_"Dat would mean you no longer exist," the reaper said to the angry-looking man. "Joo would not be sentient any longer. Are you sure dat's what you want?"_

_"It's what is necessary," he said, "to save the world."_

_Clockwork nodded. "You are aware that in doing this, you will be removed not just from the present, but from all of time. We will not be able to go back to save you, so this choice is final."_

_Together they braced themselves, and agreed._

_"Wait, what do you mean we can't go back?" the blue eyes asked._

_Clockwork regarded him carefully. "There are two sorts of ghosts. There are ghosts who are bound to life, and ghosts who are bound to time. Those who are bound to life are removed from the stream of time, and ghosts bound to time are not alive. You could go back and try to change the ghosts who are bound to life, or speak with them, but you would be invisible. Their past actions cannot be altered, unless by someone who controls all of what is. That is why the weapon you destroyed a long time ago was so dangerous."_

_"The reality gauntlet?"_

_"Precisely."_

_The blue eyes fell silent. "And there is no other way?" they said at last._

_"None that we have foreseen. If all else fails, what we discussed will come to pass, and we cannot allow that to happen."_

_"We're not afraid, Eternal," said the woman with the flower-petal eyes. "This is what must be, and we will live on within you. The only payment we require is that you remove our sister, and save the world, so that she will not unmake it."_

_Blue eyes glanced at the ground (if there was a ground) and pondered carefully. A sigh escaped him. "I'll do what I have to, no matter the cost," he said slowly. "But... I have more questions."_

_"Time has run short," Clockwork said. "I will allow you one more question, then you must return. As a being who exists outside of time, Depravity must be erased for any good to come."_

_"What happened to my best friend?"_

_"He is... not here," said the stocky girl with the horn-rimmed glasses. "He was a long time ago, but he went back. We haven't seen him since."_

_"Time's up," Clockwork interjected. "Ready or not."_

Depravity shook her, and the motion made Sam feel like her intestines were unraveling. Pain unlike anything she'd ever felt ripped up her spine.

"TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!" the deity shrieked. "WHY!"

Sam could only cough and gasp for air. Nearby, Jaston was watching, regarding the situation with mild interest, perhaps even morbid fascination, as he watched Depravity literally shake the Goth girl to near-death. Sam had never enjoyed having him around, even before she'd found out he was a serial killer, but this made it all the worse.

Danny inhaled, but no one noticed. He felt his lungs expand and glorious air fill them, but he didn't stir beyond that.

_"There now, at least your body is still in-tact. Are you prepared? It is going to be a painful experience."_

_"You said that about the fight too, though."_

_"Yes, and I was right, wasn't I?"_

Depravity brought her fist up, its electricity sparking the air and giving off more heat than Sam wanted so near her face. "You will tell me or I'll burn out those pretty little eyes," she snarled. Sam was too weak to squirm.

"It worked..." Sam managed, disbelief evident in her voice. "You... can't hurt them..."

"That's where you're wrong, little girl," Depravity rasped harshly, her voice as feral as her wild eyes. And then her eyes fell on Danny's motionless form.

_"Now, go."_

Danny's eyes snapped open. His shirt was damp, he observed. He took slow, deep breaths_, _careful not to make any sudden movements. He closed his eyes again.

"See now? Your mighty _Eternal_ savior is dead. He's FUCKING DEAD!" she shrieked gleefully. "That must be a huge flaw in your plan! You were hoping that the cuff would kill me, and if it didn't, he'd finish the job. Well girly, TOO BAD!"

She began dancing around, almost childlike. Sam was far from amused.

_"Become one with him, give him strength. Should eternity fall, the world will follow."_

Depravity dropped Sam, who lay crumpled on the ground and unable to move any further, having exhausted everything she'd had in order to get to Danny, an effort that had been ruined by the cackling ghost. Depravity moved slowly, hovering to crouch beside his prone form. "You really weren't as powerful as they thought," she whispered.

Jaston, who had been accompanying her in her celebration, was standing several feet away, staring straight up at the sky.

_"The greatest sacrifice is that which saves the lives of strangers."_

"My lady?" he said, shielding his eyes. "There appears to be... something coming."

Depravity glanced up. There was a light, like a firefly at first, growing larger and larger. It was pure and white, filled with radiance and made her draw back in pain as the bright luminous light touched her. She snarled in annoyance and shielded her eyes, just as the light came crashing down and slamming into Danny at full force.

Sam thought she heard him scream.

* * *

Dib didn't know how long it took for the ringing to subside in his ears, or how long it had taken for him to get his head straight, but by the time he did, the damage had already been done. Skulker looked around from within the safety of the dome, staring as a light shined down off in the distance. "It's been quiet for awhile," he said in a low voice.

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Dib asked, hobbling out of the dome with the aid of Technus.

Vlad shook his head. "If there were still fighting, the Earth would still be trembling. It's much too quiet, and we haven't heard from either Daniel or the girl in over an hour." He was bent over, inspecting the body of the girl who had been known at one time as Dr. Madness. The monster in her head, the physical one anyway, was gone, leaving behind only a dusty, rust-colored ash as its remains. He touched her once with his foot to ensure she wouldn't move again. She didn't.

Dib opened his mouth to reply but was cut short as Gir's wailing cut into the air. He was screaming and crying, hugging himself and rocking back and forth, sitting beside the still green form that lay silent in the dirt. Dib's jaw hung open. For a moment he'd forgotten that Zim was not among them, and then it all came back to him.

Zim had literally sacrificed himself to save Gir.

His shoulders slumped as he hobbled near, staring down at the remains of his arch-nemesis. Their petty squabbles all seemed so... distant now. Vlad patted him on the shoulder, and Skulker lifted Zim up carefully, holding him in one arm. It was too much for him to speak, so none of them said anything for a time, greeting the silence that was punctuated only by Gir's constant sobbing. There was little to say.

It was Vlad that spoke first, clearing his throat gently to break the uneasy silence. "We'd best find Daniel, something about this silence has my bones uneasy," he said quietly.

"I, Technus, agree with this plan."

Dib only nodded, and followed the others with the electrical master's aid.

Skulker lifted his other arm. "Plan went off without a hitch... mostly. We're moving in, have the others get ready. This is likely going to get ugly."

_"What about Phantom?"_ came Ember's voice from over the comm.

"No word."

_"We'll be there, just watch your back."_

* * *

New York City had thrived once. It had become a grand metropolis in an era of electronic prosperity and growth. Skyscrapers and ships and strange glowing lights had made it desirable for the wealthy and a beacon for those with less who wanted to claw their way to the top. It was a city that was wonderful and terrible, wrapped up in one expansive and sky-touching package that millions flocked to.

Well, until now. Now, they were trying to run away. And who could blame them? Things had gone from normal to living hell in under 15 minutes. Little slimy balls of tentacles roamed the streets, leaping on and ripping apart anyone they could latch onto, and then using the dead flesh as a walking suit. Terror ran rampant.

The government, as usual, did nothing to resolve the crisis. In fact, it perhaps helped to aid the spread of fear and perhaps more death. Instead of trying to evacuate survivors, the president ordered the city fall under quarantine until the "infection" had passed. What he, and none of the other imbeciles in Washington, failed to realize was that the problem in New York wasn't an infection. Sure it was a plague, perhaps even a disease, but it wasn't microbial and it didn't enter the body by contact. It entered the body when it was ready to.

Below the surface, the giant mass of tentacles once known as Xanu sat, regarding the strange reactions of the humans to his children with an odd curiosity. Such odd creatures they were. And why would they be so terrified? Sure they were giving up their own natural life so that a ball of slime and metal could take their dead flesh and walk around in it, but that didn't explain the reactions of pure _fear_, that provoked him to such careful observation. And those humans were definitely afraid.

But he stopped caring about how terrified the humans were. After all, they were only food, and they hadn't agreed with his people to begin with. That might have made his blood boil, if he still had any. And he wasn't sure he did.

But it wasn't just the humans that struck his curiosity. It was something else that was nagging at him that he had missed, but he couldn't place a tentacle on exactly what that might have been. The filthy Irken had been here, but doing what? It was very much reason to speculate on why anyone who hadn't joined his family would even _want_ to lurk in a chamber thick with the stench of human carnage, especially someone who hated the smell of humans when their organs were still on the inside of the bodies.

The little rodent had escaped, so whatever had become of him was unknown. That was no matter, as long as he was well away from his children.

So the mass pondered how to proceed. The city was perfect for beginning his breeding, but where did he go from there? Should he take over other cities in the area, or just keep reproducing until all of his children had taken bodies of their own? It was a huge feat, but it could be accomplished.

And then something started beeping. The noise was curious and unfamiliar. _"What is that infernal racket..."_ said a thousand fractured voices screaming together. _"Find it..."_

So the corpses set to searching, hissing and groaning as they lurched into motion, the deceased bodies they inhabited resisting the movement. They scoured the room, sniffing out oddities and unnatural things. They found nothing. That is, until one little slimy ball of filth discovered a blinking red light, almost completely obscured by rock and mud. It was puzzled, but it enjoyed the blinking red the thing gave off. It was entrancing, fascinating even, so much so that it didn't even want to tell the others what it found, for fear they would steal it. So it waited and stared longingly, wishing to be part of _that_ light.

Then something clicked, the red light hissed, and then black and white mist poured into the room. The little tentacle balls began to shrivel, the metal of their bodies corroding and rusting and eventually turning to a pile of steaming orange flakes.

The mist poured down and ate away his children, until none were left alive to accompany him.

And then there was the pain. The mist rained down on him from a hole in the ceiling, eating away at his cold steel and deeper, deeper below and through him, ripping through his tendrils like a sword through jello.

_"Noooooooo..." _the fractured voices hissed. The little red light clicked again, louder this time, and detonated.

The first impact was harsh as the cavern exploded into tiny fragmented pieces as fire roiled out and licked the walls, fire that was blue and hot that quickly got hotter as it mixed with the chemicals in the air, turning the oxygen to yet more fire that seared into the rock and made it hot, first red and then orange and then bright yellow, and eventually melting in a pool of molten stone that pooled into the hole that he had dug for himself. The steel of his body began to heat as well, going from cool silver to angry red in a matter of minutes while the air continued to dissolve him into a rusted pile of ash.

The cavern imploded on itself, then a second explosion went off and the earth began to tremble as the northern half of New York began to crumble and fall into the ground, bringing her citizens with her. The black and white mist poured out and into the air, and the little creatures began to rust and melt, the possessed, decayed bodies suddenly freezing and then falling down, finally motionless.

Yet another explosion went off, this one shaking the city with the force of a bomb, rocking skyscrapers from their foundations and bringing the giants of concrete and steel crashing to the ground in a fiery ball of crumbling rock and ash and twisted metal. The ground had started to his as the heat burned its way through layers of dirt and stone, the concrete streets and sidewalks becoming hot, then super-heated as they, too, turned red and began to melt. Thick, toxic black smoke plumed into the air and choked the people still alive. It was almost too much for anyone to take.

The last explosion went off, a bright dome of white fire and heat that encased the city and burned it away, until there was nothing left but molten rock and metal and charred ash and bone. Then from six hundred fifty miles away, a white flash of light and silence shot through them.

The military, until this point, had been watching in horror as New York was leveled in a matter of minutes. Now they had troubles of their own, as all of the equipment they carried suddenly ceased to function.

* * *

"What was _that_?" Dib asked, wide-eyed, as a light shot out of the sky and exploded in the middle of downtown Amity Park. He could practically feel the air ripple and suddenly the sound smashed into them, a deafening roar, detonating from the light and crashing down on their ears.

"I don't think that was a good thing!" Skulker yelled over the noise.

Gir stopped sobbing and looked, staring at the white light like a fly entranced by a bug zapper. "SHINEH!" he squealed and dashed towards it.

"Gir! Wait!" Dib called. Vlad scooped him up and flung him over his shoulder, then hovered up off the ground and flew after the crazed robot, who was running at break-neck speeds to the light. "GIR!" Dib shouted, and the others followed quickly behind.

"We're on the move!" Skulker shouted into the comm. "Keep your distance, make sure she doesn't see you or our cover is blown. We'll let _him_ take most of the blows."

_"Gotcha. What about Phantom? Still no word?"_

"Nothing. I'll keep you posted."

Gir arrived on the scene first, skidding to a halt several meters away, staring wide-eyed and open mouthed at the spectacle. Vlad and Dib arrived next, staring in awe as they looked on, seeing first Depravity in her ghostly form, recoiling back from the light like it were poison, next Jaston, who was staring avidly at the holy light like it were gold, and on the ground Sam, who was sprawled in pain and reaching for the light. Dib didn't see Danny anywhere.

Vlad did. "Dear god, he's in the middle of it," he breathed. Dib looked up at him and then at the light.

"How can you tell?" he said over the noise. Vlad pointed at the ground, where Danny's left arm was just visible through the brilliant white. A black piece of metal was attached to his wrist. "Oh…"

The light suddenly stopped, and there was complete and utter silence.

That, however, didn't last long, as the last of the explosive noise came crashing down and out, forcing up the winds and throwing them all back, all save for Sam, who was still flat on the ground. "WHAT'S GOING ON!" Dib shouted over the din as he and Plasmius flew into a building and landed with a thud.

The winds died down, and all was still once more.

Depravity clawed her way to her feet again, having landed in a heap a good distance away. "Even in death he manages to irk me," she growled. A second later, a bright magenta bolt of energy collided with her head and she fell over again, taken by surprise. "WHO!" she shrieked.

Vlad was holding his hand like a gun and he blew the smoke away in pure wild-west fashion. "Is there a problem, little girl?" he said.

"There won't be after I fry you like an egg!" she snarled, hovering to her feet and kicking off from the ground right into him, tackling him at full force. He rolled back and kicked her off in a manner that reminded Dib of a movie he'd seen years ago involving lions and singing. "DIE!" she shrieked, electricity sparking from her. Her ghostly body was no longer bound by the restrictions of the physical realm, so her entire form began to shift to that of pulsing electricity. Vlad was terrified. He didn't show it.

Depravity was shuddering with rage, and her hands were crackling with electricity again. Vlad gulped, but didn't waver. Right now, he was probably their best chance of defeating her, since the boy was no longer moving. In fact, he hated to admit to himself, it looked like Danny was _dead_.

"You… stupid… stupid… man…" Depravity hissed, stepping forward slowly. "I am going to tear you in _half_…"

She reared back and exploded lances of fiery energy at him that blasted up and into the ground, impacting and causing little red spots of super-heated concrete to appear here and there. He threw up a shield to deflect the lightning and it bounced, striking the ground hard only a foot away from Dib, who stared at the spot with a look of fear.

She was still breathing raggedly. Then she launched herself at him, surging with all the rage and energy she could muster, only to stop suddenly as Jaston was there. He pushed her out of the way. Vlad dove for cover, and she looked to see why anyone would be foolish enough to interfere with her fight.

She was blinded then by brilliant green energy that exploded from somewhere to her left. It detonated like an atomic bomb and shook the very foundations of the city, and Jaston had been in the line of fire. She watched in mingled horror and fascination as Jaston began to disappear, bit by bit, disintegrating under the ferocity of the blast. He had never even uttered a word.

Dib stared, wide-eyed, mouth agape, as the blast had come from seemingly nowhere. What had caused such a deadly force? What _could_? He tried to look at the source but it was too bright, too painful to look at, that he had to cover his eyes and look away to prevent himself from going blind. The blast intensified and threw him back, threw all of them back, and far away from the point of impact, where Jaston had once been. It was over as quickly as it had started.

Depravity turned, and for the first time ever, Vlad saw something on her face that made him almost want to laugh. She was_ afraid_, and it was delightful, even though he didn't know why. That is, until he turned and saw for himself what would prompt such unexplained fear. Standing in a small crater, cut up and bloodied, but looking none the worse for wear, was Danny, and he was on _fire_. It wasn't just the usual green spectral energy that a ghost would give off, and he wasn't even in ghost form. No, Danny was blazing a myriad of colors, swirling up and around him, shining so brightly that it almost hurt to look at him, but looking away just wasn't an option.

"You have made a _huge_ mistake," he snarled, his eyes narrowed, and they flashed green. His voice, though it clearly belonged to him, echoed as though he spoke at the head of a chorus. It was commanding and awe-inspiring, and the others couldn't help but watch.

Except for Depravity, who was was still staring, shocked and fear-frozen. "No… no… no no no!" she shrieked. "This isn't possible! YOU ARE NOT POSSIBLE!"

"No," was his simple reply. "I am. Otherwise I wouldn't be standing here."

She screamed, not even bothering to put syllables to her anger.

"I will give you one last chance, Depravity. One chance to back away from all this and fix the damage you've caused."

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!"

He stared at her with a mix of pity and disgust. "Fine. Your call."

Then a pair of rings appeared around his waist, but they were different somehow. Instead of pure and simple white, they were sparking and crackling with raw energy. They swept over him and he changed, but his eyes were different. They were still green, but the color was bright and toxic, and he glowed more than any of them remembered. "This has gone on for way too long, Depravity. This ends here, and now."

Nearby, Skulker had arrived, still carrying the prone body of Zim. "He's up, the game is still in play. Get the others up here, it's time to pull off our plan."

_"On our way," _Ember's voice said. She started to say something else, but she was drowned out by another, louder voice, one that seemingly came from Skulker. He looked around in surprise.

_"REACTIVATE."_


	19. Phantom

_**Danny Phantom**_

**_Invasion_**

_Author's Notes: We've come a long way since two years ago. The original ending for this story was much different than the one I'm going to be writing, but I prefer this one more. There's still a lot left to go so no worries, we'll keep pushing forward. I'd like to encourage any readers to send up a review, I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas with the plot, and it helps me to evolve my writing style. Thanks to everyone who's stuck through to the end, now I'll stop babbling and get on to the story._

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Phantom**

* * *

"This ends now." His voice was fierce, commanding a certain awe-filled respect as the others looked on in complete fascination. He stepped from the dent in the pavement the light had made, walked slowly towards a still-frozen Depravity, and stopped two feet from her. "You've hurt my friends, destroyed my town, and almost ruined the planet. You don't deserve to _be_." She didn't speak, didn't blink, didn't even move as she stared at him like he was a nightmare made real, shivering as though someone had thrown her in a bucket of ice water and left her there to freeze.

Whatever had changed in Danny when he'd gone down was showing. From where she lay on the ground, Sam could only see the back of him, but he was still swirling with a fire that danced every color of the spectrum, brilliant and beautiful and deadly, that leaped out and caressed against the pavement and crackled in the air as the energy and the oxygen danced together. She tried to push herself up and failed, and after a few unsuccessful attempts, resigned to lay where she was, praying that she didn't get trampled.

Suddenly Depravity snapped back to life and reared back like an angry snake, snarling. "You think you're powerful just because you've defied death? I AM death!" she growled. "And you're wrong. You can't kill me, because you forgot about something that _I _have that _you_ don't!" And suddenly she was glowing. "I took from my family their very _beings_. If you kill me, you kill everything!"

Danny blinked. "Everything?" he repeated.

"Whoever holds the sphere controls it. If the holder dies, the sphere dies too!" she giggled. "But that's okay. If I were going to unmake the world, I'd like it to be a battle that no one can win." And then she attacked. Without her heavy steel body she was much faster, and before Danny could throw up his arms to defend himself, a punch smashed across his right cheek and sent him reeling back, stumbling under the sudden shock and pain. He recovered, but not fast enough as another blow bashed across his right cheek, harder than the first, and sent him back, arcing high and smashing into an old building above where Skulker stood and raining down debris from the building. He rolled to his feet and vanished into the concrete of the building in time to avoid a giant ball of fire that flew through the wall, evaporating the drywall and cement and lighting nearby floors on fire.

Skulker ran from his spot beneath the flames after he'd seen how she had melted literally though the metal. And no one could really blame him for wanting to remove himself from such a compromised position, especially after the structural integrity of the building buckled down on itself and the foundation shattered, the rest of the building following it down in a fiery explosion that sent bits of ash and concrete flying out every which way. Sam looked skyward as the concrete rained down towards her, thinking that of all the things that could possibly kill her, it was going to be a rock. It might have made her laugh, except that she hurt too much.

She felt tingly all of the sudden, and looked back to see a ghostly hand on her shoulder and the chill of Danny as he spread his intangibility to her and she vanished with him, and then the slab of concrete smashed into the ground, shattering and sending debris every which way, showering the others with dust. Danny and Sam reappeared from the ground, Danny carrying the injured Goth girl. He hovered to Vlad. "Take her away from here. All of you need to get out of here now before the real fight starts, and tell Skulker to call off the plan. It's too dangerous here for either of you." He turned and kicked off into the air. As much as Vlad detested taking orders from a teenager, there was really no arguing with Danny. And he was glad for the excuse to get out of the hot zone, so he lifted the injured girl and turned.

"What makes you think I'm going to let you leave?" someone hissed behind him. Vlad turned to see whatever attack she was about to throw at him, and perhaps dodge it with some luck, but came face-to-face with a large boulder that smashed into him and sent the pair of them flying, the older half-ghost's nose smashed and bruised and bloody from the impact, finally coming to rest in a heap some distance away. Sam coughed and stirred, but Vlad did not. He was out cold, and still breathing, which was fortunate because the boulder had nearly caused lethal trauma. The Goth girl grumbled and grabbed his arm, then with all the might she could muster (which was very little, considering) she dragged him out of view.

Depravity came looking for them. "Tsk tsk, I'm disappointed. You're a half-ghost, scary hair. Surely you should put up more of a fight than the teenager?" But Vlad was in no condition to respond, so she narrowed her eyes. She still hadn't found them yet, but she hovered around slowly, her eyes searching. "Fine, since you won't play, I'll rip your head off like a doll and find a new toy!"

Danny materialized out of nothing and smashed his right fist into her chest. Red eyes went round as the impact rippled through her and shot her off like a punted football, blasting her with nuclear force into a distant lopsided structure. Her impact brought it down, buckling the supports and causing the entire building to implode in on itself. Sam covered her face to shield her eyes from the dust that kicked up.

She came flying back, snarling like a rabid dog. Danny was ready for her, dropping back low and forming a ball of bright green ecto-energy in his hands. He thrust them out and the blast exploded into her, sending her tumbling head over heels and smashing head-first into a building reduced to rubble by a previous impact. Her eyes lit up with fire. "You little BRAT!" she roared. "I hope you've made peace with your maker because I'm going to make sure you _hurt_ before the end."

"Shut up," he said with a growl, his hand whipping back and slamming across her cheek. It was a simple movement, but the crack it made as it impacted with her ectoplasmic flesh echoed off destroyed walls and burning buildings. Sam covered her ears from the deafening sound. Depravity's head snapped back and to the side, whiplashing from the blow. Her eyes were wide with a caustic mix of terror and loathing and utter rage, and probably pain, but Danny couldn't be sure. All he really knew was what he had to do. It wouldn't be easy.

Depravity lit up. Her clawed hands snapped out, tearing across his face and chest. He stumbled back and wiped the blood away from his cheek, ignoring the dripping fluid on his chest, then took a step back and powered forward. His shoulder connected with her sternum and they bulleted off with the force of Danny's momentum, their quarreling forms dissolving to streaks of light and crackling electric energy. They came together and burned, fire dancing off the ball of bright white energy that surrounded their fight. They broke apart as the ball exploded, sending them shooting off in different directions across the horizon. Danny skidded to a halt in a crouch, passing Skulker as his momentum carried him farther than he'd intended to slide.

"Skulker!" he shouted, standing and jogging over to the large metal ghost. "Skulker call off the attack," he said wildly, his eyes lit up with something that looked like worry. "Call it off NOW!"

He didn't have to say it twice. He lifted his free arm and paused a moment to observe the gentle rise and fall of the chest of a little green alien he had perched in his right arm. His eyebrow ascended up his brow but he didn't linger another moment to consider the implications, instead speaking directly to his arm, "Ember, call it off. The kid said to call it off now!"

_"Call it off?"_ she echoed. _"You can't be serious. Skulker, the attack is already starting!"_

"Then get out of there!" he snarled.

_"Too late. I'm sorry. We'll try to bring her down."_

Danny didn't have to ask Skulker what she'd said, because his eyes were round in immense trepidation as around the fallen deity, a thousand ghosts suddenly materialized, all of them glowing bright green with ghostly energy. "NO!" he screamed, but it was far too late. None of them could hear him. Ember appeared at the head of the sphere of ghosts, her guitar blazing as wildly as her hair. The green light intensified, escalated from green to white, then wrapped around Depravity.

Even from where he stood, he could see her eyes. Something unnerving had settled in her eyes, the eyes that had burned into Danny so many times before. Those eyes were the eyes that made him thick with rage. Even through the blinding green and white he could see her burning eyes.

"I think it's working!" Skulker shouted triumphantly.

Danny shook his head. "No… it's not…" he murmured. Skulker shot him a glance.

"Why…?"

Danny didn't speak. Instead he kicked off from the ground. "I'll be damned before I let her kill that many ghosts," he snarled. Skulker's eyebrow arched again but he didn't have the chance to ask what the ghost boy meant, because a second later he was zooming off, his after-image fading as he sped through burning buildings and dodged falling debris.

But Danny was too late. The light intensified again and flashed, blinding him, sending him crashing into the ruins of a building. The ghosts poured their essences into the blast, trying to claw their way into Depravity, to rip her ghostly flesh apart, bit by bit, disintegrating her to the point of no possible return. Her very soul was under attack from the blast. But she wasn't concerned.

Why should she be? She was more powerful than any of them could ever dream. Any of them except Danny. But Danny was too late.

Her fiery eyes lit up, and a little ball separated itself from her chest. Then another, and another, and yet another, until she was surrounded by eight little balls of light, each colored a different hue, each of them swirling with something ethereal and otherworldly. No one saw. No one except Danny. She touched each of them lightly, connecting them like a puzzle or a game, the light surrounding her, melding to her skin if only for a moment. Her eyes were still burning. Danny could still see them.

Then she burned a rainbow of color, bright and beautiful yet terrifying. Danny shielded his eyes and pushed forward. He knew he was too late, but he didn't want to give up. He didn't want to fail them again, like he had when he'd been trapped inside the ghost zone. But it didn't change that he was too late. Even if he hadn't been, Danny suspected he might've taken the blow as well, something devastating and perhaps lethal. It might have been for the better. He didn't really care.

The light that Depravity had covered herself in turned black. Danny felt the pit of his stomach drop, because in his gut he knew what she was doing. The black then spread, seeping out and touching the green dome that held her fast, kept her from moving or attacking. It tainted the dome, the black spreading out until it was nothing but a giant sphere of nothingness. And then it began to crack, fissures rupturing from one end to the other. The cracks reminded Danny of glass, or the shattering of a window. And shatter it did, into a million tiny little pieces that melted and then dissolved. Wind kicked up and knocked some of them back, while others were strong enough to hold their ground.

They were the unfortunate ones. The black turned to smog, thick, toxic, and apparently deadly as it seemingly started to scream of its own accord. Danny knew different. The sound was coming from Depravity. She was screaming, her eyes burning brighter than before. Ruby had given way to molten stone. The smoke turned, lances forming from the thick air, and shot out like a porcupine's quills and penetrated them.

The ghosts began to scream as a pain unlike any other pain ripped up their ectoplasmic bodies, the green boiling away. They weren't just dying, Danny realized as their bodies began to dissolve. They were being _unmade_. Screams ripped through the air like the daggers through the ghosts, until one by one, they had all dissolved into nothingness, becoming less than dead. They were utterly gone, taken away from everywhere and trapped in the vast expanse of nowhere and nothing. Danny watched, terror plastered all over his face.

The black oozed back into Depravity and she opened her newly-rubied eyes again to survey her masterpiece of carnage. There were a few ghosts left, some of them in-tact. Most of them were injured in some fashion, Ember among them. She coughed and spat gobs of lime-colored liquid. She couldn't fly anymore from weakness, but she was able to hobble. She didn't have to go far though, because she stumbled into Danny, who caught her as she fell.

"Guess it was a bad idea," she coughed. Danny shook his head, hoisted her up, and flew back away from the darkness that was Depravity to where Skulker was waiting.

"Oh no…" the hunter said, laying Zim down on the ground and taking Ember into his arms. "Is it bad?"

She looked down at the hole where her right kidney should be. "Could be worse," she replied. "Guess it's a good thing I'm already dead." She tried to laugh, but that proved too painful as she winced and coughed again. Danny shook his head.

But there was little else he had to say, because at that moment, Depravity's shoulder smashed into his chest and the pair vanished in a streak of red and blue. Depravity had him by the throat as they crashed into the rubble of the first building she'd demolished. Danny kicked hard, nailing her sharply in the ribs and shoving her back. She retorted with a hard jab to his face, striking him just below his right eye. The resulting bruise swelled quickly, but he paid it no attention.

Depravity's payment was an equally painful bruise that resulted from his fist smashing hard into her left cheekbone. She twisted with the force of the blow, whipped around, and slammed her left leg into his hip. He wavered and tumbled, rolled back up, and uppercut her in the jaw. She went straight up, flipped back, and energy pulsed through her hands and out, destroying the ground he stood on.

* * *

Gir sat on the ground silently. He didn't understand why Zim wouldn't get up. He was breathing, wasn't he? He wasn't cold like some things got when the little robot squeezed the life out of them. He was just… sleeping? Gir didn't know. Then again, his intelligence chip hadn't been up to par in quite some time. In fact, he was sure that the junking he got in his previous mission was probably to blame, but Gir never thought about it. Truthfully, Gir never really thought at all if it could be helped.

But Gir was thinking now. He was thinking about how Zim's chest was rising and falling, the occasional twitching his body made as tiny, quick jolts of electricity shot up and down it. If Zim would have stayed deactivated for over 10 minutes, his body would have died. If his pack had stayed disconnected from a body for more than 20 minutes, it would have self-destructed. Why hadn't the pack boomed yet?

So Gir got to his little metal legs and walked to sit beside his fallen master, staring at him with some sort of morbid fascination that might make anyone, even Zim, uncomfortable. It would have been worse for anyone else when he started poking the green boy in the head repeatedly. The action was simple, childlike, and that pretty much summed up the little robot. Zim didn't respond though.

Not at first.

But after several straight minutes of constant poking and prodding, and the occasional sob and scream, another volt of electricity shot through the Irken's body, another voice echoing the words it had before.

_"REACTIVATE." _It was followed by a beep and yet more electricity. Gir shrieked in glee, or maybe something else, as the Irken jolted up off the ground for a moment before landing on his back again, sizzling. Gir was still screaming. Two blue eyes cracked open, slitted in annoyance at the shrieking metal child.

"Gir. Shut up."

* * *

Danny turned from the spot he had been standing a few moments ago, the spot that Depravity had just turned to glass. She was laughing again. It seemed that all she ever did anymore was express emotional extremes. There was no gray area for Depravity. For that, he almost felt sorry for her. She would never know contentedness, because it wasn't pure. She could never feel joy, because she was too full of hate. He pitied her. And still, even beneath that pity and sorrow he felt for such a misguided and neglected creature, he knew that she could no longer be. She had to cease to be, or the world would take that place for her.

So, even though he felt sorry for her, he would have to destroy her. And that wasn't what bothered Danny the most. It wasn't the fact that he'd had to murder two people this past week, not that all of this carnage was unavoidable, and not that he was turning into a murderer. He would deal with that later. No, what bothered him was the eerie calm with which he looked at the situation, how he felt that no matter what happened, no matter how much he hated what he did, he had to kill her. And this time, for good.

"So the time has come for us to dance, hasn't it?" she asked, smirking lightly. "That song we always play, the rhythm and the dance floor always changes. But the dance never does."

"I'm tired of this," Danny said. "And I won't pretend that I might get through to you with words. You're way beyond reasoning now."

"So why are you talking?"

"Because I know that if I don't say it now, I'll feel guilty after this is done. Depravity, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, for the pain I might have caused you. I'm sorry for all the pain you endured when you died, when your family hurt you, too. I'm sorry for all of that. And I'm sorry that I have to hurt you one more time."

So they came together, and the fire they made was beautiful, and terrifying.

* * *

_A/N: Yes, this chapter is a little shorter. Not because I ran out of things to write about, but because this chapter is, essentially, part one of two. I didn't want to split up the fight scene too unevenly so the big fireworks will be in chapter twenty. As usual, I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions, so reviews are appreciated. Also, I'd like to note that I'm currently in the market for a couple of beta readers for the bulk of my upcoming stories, this one included, so if interested, visit my profile or drop me a message._

_ Thank you to everyone who has provided such wonderful feedback thus far, and I hope you keep it up! It helps me get the writing done. Thanks everyone, see you in chapter 20._


	20. Reckoning

_Author's Notes: We've come a long way in 3 years (I hadn't even realized it'd been so long). This story is in a very different place than I imagined it when I first developed the concept, but I can't say I mind. I've definitely grown a lot as a person and as a writer through the time I've spent working on this. But I won't gush too much until the end, so I'll hush about that stuff for now._

_I'd also like to say thanks to KP100, my new beta reader! And an apology as well. I was so impatient to put this chapter up that I didn't wait for revisions, so once I get those back I'll make the appropriate changes. As it stands this chapter is pretty much complete, so here I give you all chapter 20._

**Chapter Twenty**

**Reckoning**

* * *

"I'm tired of this," Danny said. "And I won't pretend that I might get through to you with words. You're way beyond reasoning now."

"So why are you talking?"

"Because I know that if I don't say it now, I'll feel guilty after this is done. Depravity, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, for the pain I might have caused you. I'm sorry for all the pain you endured when you died, when your family hurt you, too. I'm sorry for all of that. And I'm sorry that I have to hurt you one more time."

Depravity snorted with mixed laughter and anger. It was strange to her, these words of sympathy and sorrow, and how they didn't seem to affect her anymore. But nothing really could penetrate the heart in her chest, frozen from centuries of supposed neglect. Of course, the "neglect" she felt was not necessarily what she thought it to be. Depravity had twisted the reality outside to match the one in her head. She was powerful and mentally touched, and that made her more dangerous than any calculating murderer, because she wasn't just insane. She was a mad sadist.

So she attacked. The fire they made when they clashed together was beautiful, and terrifying. Danny, for all his fire, was burning a bright and glimmering hue of blue-green, the mixing of all of his power into one blazing inferno that shined against all of the darkness that the other threw at him. Depravity was crackling with red and yellow and thick black, a blaze that burned hot and terrible and toxic, all of her wickedness combined into one deadly fire. They fought there in the heart of Amity Park, exchanging blows that would make any human's frail bones shatter and skin break. The ground was trembling. The others were looking on, terrified.

Danny whipped back and slammed his right foot across her head, only to meet her fist crashing into his chest. He dropped low and swung out, knocking her right off her feet. She caught herself and bounced back, panting, crackling fire exploding to life in her hands. She thrust them out. The fire lurched forward, hungry, eager to devour Danny in the flame and unforgiving heat. He phased into the ground, and the spot where he'd been crouched just a heartbeat before lit up, the ground melting as the electricity-consumed fire splashed into the pavement. The concrete liquefied, the fire licking the stone first, then super-heating it to an ungodly temperature that boiled and bubbled and eventually evaporated. Tendrils of black smoke were curling up from the hole.

But Depravity wasn't satisfied with the destruction, so she started to scream. When Danny didn't disappear in a bubbling pool of pain and liquefied organs and charred bone, she burned with a greater fire, a greater rage, and exploded. Electricity was crackling up and surging, impacting the ground and cracking open the pavement. Danny materialized out of nowhere, his fist smashed hard across her cheek, and again she whiplashed back, her body twisted and flew until it came to an abrupt rest when she slammed through the bottom floor windows of a rare still-standing building. It wasn't remaining for very long. Danny hadn't even had time to blink before the glass windows all rippled and then shattered from the bottom up, the metal twisting as electricity and power screamed out from the ground floor. Depravity stepped from the ruins as the rest of the twisted glass and metal came down in a molten heap.

"I really _hate_ you," she whispered. Danny wasn't entirely sure if she'd regained some semblance of composure, but the thought was banished from his mind when she started shrieking. The noise was terrible, it penetrated his ears, made him want to cram something sharp into his eardrums to save them from the noise that assaulted them. If anyone had thought his ghostly wail was strong, they hadn't listened to Depravity show a banshee how it was done.

The onlookers were only captivated for a moment by it, and all of them doubled over in pain, their hands clapped over their ears. Her screaming was causing the pain of a drill being crammed down their ear canals. Skulker shut the covers over his own ears and wrapped himself protectively around Ember.

"Aauuugh!" Dib groaned, cupping his own hands over his ears. "She's gonna... melt our... brains!"

Then she stopped abruptly when a volley of ecto-energy smashed into her and she twisted, and fire and electricity twisted up around her, like a pair of dancing snakes, it weaved and circled her torso and up her arms, to her hands, where she cupped them together and then hurled it at Danny. "**BUUUURRN**!" she shrieked with all the rage of the inferno at her palms.

But Danny was ready. At least, he thought he was ready. He put his hands together, forming a little ball of mixing blue and green energy, ice and ectoplasm, willing it into existence and channeling all of the energy he could muster into his hands, and fired it back at her.

Ice and ectoplasm and fire and electricity all joined. The attacks met in the middle. The resulting ball that formed ballooned out, expanded rapidly the longer they held it, the ground eaten away by fire, sizzled and cooked and then just vaporized into thick, pluming clouds of caustic black death that choked and strangled whatever fool dared inhale it. Danny was vaguely reminded of a cartoon he'd watched as a kid, but he didn't have time to think about it further because the ball of energy being fired at him was intensifying, and it took every ounce of his concentration to keep it from overwhelming him. But like all things flammable and chemically unstable, the ball of energy that was ever growing in the middle of Amity Park didn't just continue to expand.

No, instead it detonated like a nuclear bomb.

* * *

In Sam's opinion, the number of times she'd nearly been crushed to death by debris was far too often for any one person in a lifetime, let alone one day. But as she sat there, chunks of concrete and steel were raining down on her, eager to squash her all over the cracked and scored pavement. She covered her head and closed her eyes.

Then for the second time that day, she felt her skin turn tingly and then she vanished. "Can't have you painting the pavement, can we?" a voice came from over her shoulder. She glanced back, and nearly let out a sigh of relief. It was funny, the thought that Danny's arch-nemesis was likely going to be the one who kept her alive.

"Took you long enough to wake up," she said indignantly. "We need to get out of here." She glanced up, arching an eyebrow at the debris that continued to fall in a lethal rain.

"Agreed. It was difficult to stay asleep through the _noise_," he said, and got slowly to his feet, only to fall again as his right leg buckled. "Oh butternuts," he said sourly. "She hit me harder than I thought." He didn't even have to lift the leg of his trousers, because the crimson was leaking through. He could feel the sudden throbbing as his leg protested the movement.

Sam gulped. "Great," she said bitterly. "So we need another exit. You can still fly, can't you?"

Vlad shook his head. "If only it were that simple. The more energy I expend flying around, the less I have to keep the blood from leaking all over the place. And passing out mid-flight, as you have no doubt discovered with Daniel, is never a _good_ thing." He released a heavy sigh from his chest. "But it wouldn't hurt to get away from ground zero, don't you think?"

She bit her lip. "Danny's still here. I can't leave him-"

Then Vlad reacted quickly, grabbing her forearm and disappearing, taking her with him, as blue and red and green and black energy exploded across the ruined horizon and consumed what was left of Amity Park.

* * *

It was a spectacular display of destruction, from where Zim lay. All of the colors that swirled together and shattered the world like a great big bomb was likely the most beautiful thing he'd ever witnessed. It was more than he could have ever hoped for, all that destruction bringing the city to the ground in cinders.

Too bad Zim had started to like the planet. It would have been that much sweeter, watching a destruction he'd actually taken part in. But right now it wasn't anything short of _bad_. Slowly he pulled himself up into a sitting position, tenderly rubbing his head and brushing the dirt out of the black hair that had been precariously perched on his head. Well, at least his plan had worked. Gir was safe and, for lack of a better term, _normal_, he hadn't died from the blast, and it didn't look like anyone important had been killed.

Not yet, at any rate. So he got to his feet and tested his pack. Four metal legs sprang out and thrust him up into the air, and he nodded in satisfaction. "Gir!" he shouted. "We have work to do."

The little robot screamed his approval and leaped onto Zim's back, smiling with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

* * *

Danny never would have thought such a small amount of energy could have caused so much damage, but there it was. The ball exploded out and snapped the foundations out from under the buildings that had miraculously remained standing through their super-charged brawl, leveling them in a matter of moments. The world around them rocked, shook with the force of a scale-breaking earthquake. Danny feared that the world was going to shake itself to pieces.

The fire began to incinerate what was left of the city, charring it and turning it to ash and molten rock and twisted white-hot metal. The heat was unbearable.

Then the ice flashed over everything. The fires went out, glazed over in a layer of frost that chilled the city and stopped the blaze. The trembling ceased. Danny could see his breath, but not because of the ghosts nearby. The sky was weeping with a mixture of snow and white ash. In spite of himself, he started to smile, holding out a hand to catch the falling flakes. "Whaddya know, it's snowing," he said and chuckled to himself.

Depravity was flabbergasted by the sudden occurrence. "You stopped the fire," she said quietly, staring at him like a child. "How could you stop my fire?"

"Had to be done," he replied shortly, careful not to meet her eyes.

"I…" she said and trailed off as a snowflake landed on her nose. Danny might have thought the confused expression, the crossed eyes, might have even been _cute_ if her fierce red eyes weren't such a stark reminder that she was as unstable as a leaf in a hurricane. But he continued to smile. "This is… snow?" she asked at last.

Danny nodded. "You don't know what snow is?"

"All I've ever known is fire… _heat_," she replied. "There is none of this _snow_ in the ghost zone, nor in heaven or hell."

"It's like frozen water, but fluffier," he said, and dropped his hand. "Not everything has to be fire."

She blinked and looked up as it continued to float lazily to the ground. "It's… calm."

"Snow does that."

She turned her eyes on him again. He could feel her fiery gaze burning his core, but he tried to pay it no heed. He met her eyes this time. "Is this what you call… _peace_?" she asked.

Danny nodded. "Something like that. If you're ready, we can fix this. But you have to give me the orbs first."

She chewed her lip nervously, almost child-like. Then she took a step towards him, then another, and another, until she was within grasp of him. Then something moved behind Danny and her eyes flashed.

"HA! I KNEW IT!" someone shouted. "There IS a woman here! This PROVES that all women are EVIL!"

Danny whirled around. Depravity was growling behind him. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

Dib, even from his distance, could tell, and it was _bad_. "Oh no… Bill," he muttered under his breath.

The man, wearing a long green trench coat and sunglasses, was folding his arms and laughing triumphantly. "Now that I can prove this, what else is there to prove? Imagine the possibilities!"

"I just remembered why I hate your kind," Depravity snarled and leaped, clawed hands extended with every intent of ripping the ignorant man limb from bloody limb. "DIE!" she shrieked.

Danny dove, and her claws sank into his chest. They spiraled to the ground and her hands lit up with fire as she withdrew them. She was panting. "You… how DARE you save HIM!" she screamed. "I WILL MAKE YOU DIE!" Her claws tore into him again. He couldn't fight back, only try to defend himself as her terrible power came down at him, swiping through his skin and burning the wounds closed again, over and over. He threw up his arms to block her but it did him no good. "DIE DIE DIE DIE!" she screamed.

Then she jumped up, catching herself in the air and raining fire down on him. "DIE!" she continued to shriek, hurling balls of flame and energy and electricity at him that collided with him and exploded in a blast of pain and heat. Danny couldn't stand the heat, the immense, raw pain that surged through his every nerve, made him feel like he was melting inside and out. It was more than he could take.

One rogue streak of fire, sharper and stronger than the others, exploded through his chest. He managed a ragged gasp through his ruined lungs and felt his ribcage shatter and his organs rip and shred and burn with the fire. He tried to choke down air but it did him no good, and he rolled to his knees, coughing and sputtering, crimson and ectoplasm pouring from his mouth.

Depravity stopped. "You're still mortal." It was a simple statement, but Danny didn't need to hear it to know. The gaping hole in his chest was reminder enough. "You can still die," she said.

"I… know…" he managed to choke out. He might have said more but breathing was an impossible task, made only more labored by trying to speak. The two short words he'd managed were too much already. A bloody gloved hand clutched his chest in a desperate and futile attempt to staunch the flow of blood.

"So that means I'm going to _kill_ you."

Danny didn't meet her eyes. He had to focus… but everything was becoming so hazy…

He had to remind himself why he was fighting. But there was so much pain, so cloudy… what was he fighting for again? Sleep sounded like the best thing in the world to him. Just to lay down and close his eyes… just let the black swallow him up in eternal and blissful silence… no more fighting, no more struggle, no more pain…

_Is that what you really want? _A little voice in the back of his mind was asking. _You want everything to go away?_

Danny blinked. That wasn't his voice… not as he imagined it, anyways. But he complied to answer and thought, _No… I want to rest._

_Why?_ The voice asked.

_Because of the pain… I just want the pain to stop. Sleep sounds really good right about now… _he thought in response.

_We thought you were going to stop her?_ The voice opined.

_Stop her? Stop the fire? I tried… she burned me and now I think I'm supposed to sleep. Aren't I?_ He thought to himself and to the voices.

_Well, if you do, who's to stop the blaze?_

Danny couldn't respond. This was in part due to the black that was ebbing away at his conscious mind, and in part because he really didn't know the answer. _I'm the only one who can, aren't I?_ he asked the voices.

_The only one who can hope to. If you fall…_

_The world falls with me,_ he finished. _I got it… but how can I fight her if I'm dying?_

_There may be a way_, the voices replied thoughtfully. _If you're willing to endure the pain required._

_It can't be any worse than this._

Depravity was preparing to end it. Her hands came together and between them, a brilliant black flame sparked and flared to life, engulfing her hands in its dark power. "Bye bye, little boy!" she screeched. "You're next!" she snarled at the man called Bill, who was fear-struck and rooted to the spot in horror as a boy half his age was beaten to near-death in place of a man he didn't know. Depravity conveniently seemed to have overlooked Danny's sacrifice as an act of humanity. She raised her hands over her head.

Then Danny began to glow. Green and blue and brilliant white were twirling together, braiding and intertwining like ribbons of beautiful light, swirling up and around him. Then the light exploded. He opened his eyes, glowing brilliant and toxic as poison, and blue and frigid as ice, shining luminous and glorious through even the brilliance of the white and blue and green that swirled around him, fixed on the heavens like a man in prayer, except that he knew no one was there to hear him except himself, so he kept his prayers for another time. And through it, he saw Depravity. He saw the woman who would destroy the world, and the little girl who just wanted to be loved. But even though both were present, the little girl was lost. So lost, in fact, that the woman was all that was really left, because she had killed that little girl. She'd killed her when she'd blown up his heart.

And that was when he remembered that there was a gaping hole in his chest. Or there had been. It was gone now, replaced with smooth fleshy skin that had sprung to out of nothing. He felt his heart beat, his lungs fill with glorious air. He was alive. More than alive, he _existed_. His essence filled him to the brim with something he hadn't had for a very, very long time. Hope, love, life, joy, anger, fear, knowledge, strength, courage, _essence_, all exploded in his chest and to the tips of his fingers and toes and the very ends of each strand of his silver hair. But it didn't consume him. It became him.

And still Depravity was there, the essence of all that was dark and cruel, and she was _afraid_. What she was afraid of he couldn't say. Perhaps it was him. Perhaps it was what he embodied. He couldn't be sure, but he knew that she was terrified of something, and that something was in him. He knew that she was evil, wicked, cruel and heartless, no longer the poor girl he had tried to help. That girl was dead, and this new Depravity had to die too. She had to, for the sake of everyone.

So he stood, and she was still afraid.

Danny didn't say anything, because he didn't have any words left. It had gone so far beyond words that there was nothing left to say. So he didn't speak. Instead he stepped forward, and each time his boot touched the ashen pavement the ground shivered with the power he radiated. Depravity took a single step back, but didn't move beyond that. She stared, her mouth agape, and didn't utter a sound.

* * *

In all their time together, Sam had never been actually _afraid_ of Danny. And truthfully, she'd never really had a reason to be. Well, that wasn't counting the time he'd been brainwashed by a ghost-controlling staff, wielded by a ringmaster with an inferiority complex and a nasty case of ghost envy. But Sam hadn't been afraid of Danny himself, and had been more afraid of what the crazy bastard would make him do.

Right now, however, she was afraid. Sam could see the raw _power_ that flowed through her best friend. But it wasn't just the near-blinding glow, or the shaking of the ground, or even the terrified open-mouthed expression Depravity was fixed with. What scared Sam was his eyes, the caustic green of poison that burned a hole through Depravity, and unwittingly, through Sam. So Sam was scared of her best friend.

Danny wasn't aware of himself, she could tell, because just now, it looked like something had happened that had caused him to snap, something bad, and whatever it had been was the final straw that broke the camel's back. There wasn't a whole lot that could fire him up so violently that he lost his emotional, heroic human side to the cold calculation and raw power of his ghost half. Sam felt the mark on her arm tingle.

Beside her, Vlad couldn't move either. He was just as awe-struck as Sam, though not nearly as afraid. "Eternal…" he whispered. "Of course."

"What?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"He's _Eternal_," Vlad muttered.

"I don't get it," she replied quietly. "But he's… _scary_."

Vlad shrugged. "Then I think we should depart before things get sour."

"They're already sour," Sam pointed out, waving a hand at the charred remains of her hometown.

Vlad quirked an eyebrow. "Good point." He released the breath he didn't know he was holding. "But even still, this isn't the place for us to be. It's far too unstable to be loitering around, waiting to get incinerated. Now let's _go_."

Sam shook her head. "I'm not leaving while Danny is still here."

"You can't help him."

"I can try!"

"And just what good you think you'll do? Do you think seeing you will make him miraculously win this fight? Give him the strength to fight back evil with the unwavering power of _love_? My dear that isn't how the world works, much as it should." Vlad turned his eyes bitterly at Danny. "I fear that Daniel is far past that now. And that means it's our cue to get as far away from here as possible." Vlad glanced at the white light bitterly. "And I'd hate to see what he'd do if you were to expire again."

But when Vlad turned to face Sam, she had already run off. "Are you mad!" he called after her.

"Guess so!" she shouted back.

* * *

Depravity seemed to have gotten over her fear for the moment. At least, that's how it appeared as her eyes narrowed viciously, and a snarl rumbled in her throat that matched a rabid dog's. Danny didn't say anything.

"So you think that just because you've pumped out a little extra power that you can just walk up to me like that? You can just keep living without any consequences?" she demanded. Danny didn't respond. She growled again. "Impudent little brat. Always so quick to run your mouth and now you're silent? How hard did I hit you, kid?"

He met her eyes this time. A shiver ran over her and through the ground. She faltered in her words, but only for a moment.

Now it was Depravity who was baiting the beast, but this beast wasn't rabid. This beast will filled with silent rage.

But she didn't pick up the warning cues. The glint of his eyes, the silence, the shiver of the ground, the tensing of his muscles. All went ignored as she continued to insult him.

"You're mentally touched now, is that it?" she asked in a snarky tone, folding her arms. "I blew a hole through you and now it's driven you mad. Poor little boy, all crazied and can't talk. You were a worthy adversary. But I guess now that you're broken, there's no play left in you."

Danny didn't respond. Instead he vanished from view, leaving a wide-eyed depravity behind to stare at the spot he'd been just moments before. She looked around frantically. "F-funny little boy, funny!" she stuttered. "REALLY FUNNY!"

Then a white gloved hand whipped out of nowhere and slammed back across her face, her entire head twisting and taking the rest of her body with it, blowing her back like she'd been hit with a wrecking ball. Were she not a ghost, bones would have shattered from the impact. The sound the blow made echoed off of the burning corpses of buildings with a deafening CRACK!

"Play?" Danny's voice rumbled. His voice echoed like he spoke at the head of a chorus, the voices of eight other ghosts joined with his and roaring with him in unison, their anger equivalent to his, their voices now his. Everyone on the field froze, staring on in fear-struck wonder. "This is just a game to you?"

Depravity couldn't respond. The thick violet-black of her blood was oozing from her mouth. She spat it on the ground and wiped her mouth.

Holding his wife in his arms, Skulker was staring, frozen, standing beside the remainder of the ghosts that had survived her deadly attack. None of them seemed to have retained speech. Technus had lost an arm in the battle, and he clutched his stub, wracked with pain that didn't seem to register through the state of catatonic shock that had settled on the spectators. They all seemed to have gone numb.

"So you think that because you have a couple of toy balls, you can suddenly govern the world?" he growled, his hand snapping to her throat. His grip was steel, impenetrable and unbreakable. He narrowed his eyes and they flashed.

Depravity couldn't speak. The choke-hold he had around her neck was suffocating, even for a ghost as powerful as she. She clawed at his hand, but still he would not budge. He was pressing her so hard into the concrete and rubble that it was starting to crack and buckle.

"S-s-silly… little… b-b-boy," she choked. He whipped back, releasing her, and his free hand whipped back and decked her hard across the face. She smashed through the building's remains through to the other side and what was left went crashing to the ground, effectively leveling what was left of Amity Park. She bounced once, twice, then three times, rolling to a harsh stop on her stomach. She pushed herself up to her knees, only to feel Danny's boot slam hard into her chest, punting her straight up into the air, and her chest seemed to cave in.

She might have thought the air would have given her a reprieve but he was there again, he brought laced hands down on her back and slammed her straight down again, shot her down through the air like a comet where she impacted the ground and it shattered. A dust cloud billowed up like the mushroom from a nuke, but with significantly less fallout.

Again she stirred and pushed herself up, and yet more violet-black oozed from her mouth and nose. It looked painful, and probably was, but no one felt any sympathy for her. They were all far past that now.

But instead of the blow that he was preparing to lay on her, she whipped back and brought up her arms, stopping his punch cold. He twisted and slammed his elbow into her nose and she staggered back. Depravity wasn't ready to just lay down though, and brought up clawed hands, sparked between them and hurled the resulting fire at her deadly adversary. Danny didn't move, and the raging blaze collided with him.

"STUPID BOY!" Depravity screamed gleefully at the plume of fire and smoke. Then it suddenly cleared to reveal a shimmering green ball and Danny with his hands out, holding the shield fast. With the wave of his hands it reshaped like molten jade and twisted into a sharp, gleaming spear that hurled itself through the air. She contorted herself to dodge it, but the tip sliced along her lower back and burned like she'd been laying in a mountain of salt.

Depravity was confused. Always in their battles he'd taken a defensive stance, only striking her _after_ she'd struck him. Usually multiple times. But now she was the one fighting to get a blow in, and even then she was at a severe disadvantage. He was fighting her head on, and he was _winning_. This was something she couldn't have… something that she would simply not allow. He had to **die.**

Then he was there, not two inches from her, and his knee came up and smashed into her stomach. She doubled over and landed hard on the ground, then rolled to her back. He was still there. His hand was mere inches from her face, glowing hot with a deadly combination of fire and ectoplasm and brilliant burning light.

"So this is it then?" she asked, her voice child-like. "You've tired of me and now you're going to do away with me? Some noble hero _you_ are. You get bored with the villain and just off her!" She started to giggle. "Seems like you're more like Dan than you ever wanted to be."

"Do _not_ compare me to a murderer," he snarled. "You've tried to kill me more time than I can even count, you've hurt my friends, ruined my family, murdered countless innocent people. What makes you think you're even worth allowing to live? You're dangerous, unpredictable, and mentally unstable. Any second you could just turn around and stab me in the back. You'd probably stab me in the chest if you had a chance. No one can trust you. You even murdered your own _mother_ because she didn't do what you wanted. What sort of victim are you?" He released a breath. "You sit there and claim that the world was cruel to you. Cruel? We didn't even know you were there until you tried to destroy us. You complain that you were neglected. After you tried to destroy the god damn planet, your mother locked you up like any good parent should. But you saw that as a what, a way to exaggerate your 'pain'? You make me sick."

Depravity stared at him. And then she laughed. "Talk, talk, talk. Isn't monologuing _my_ job as a 'villain'?" she asked, then chuckled even louder. "Little baby Danny is turning _into_ the villain! YOU'LL BE JUST LIKE ME!" She cackled gleefully.

The fire exploded to life in his hand. His eyes narrowed again, something dark flickering where his light had once been, anger channeling through his very soul. For a moment, Depravity was afraid.

And then, as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. Danny stood up to his full measure, looking at Depravity with eyes that betrayed his resignation. His face remained stoic. "You're right," he said quietly.

The smile vanished from Depravity's face. "What?"

"I said you're right. Killing you like this, satisfying as it might be now… it won't help those people you slaughtered." He sighed heavily, but didn't take his eyes away from Depravity. He knew better than to take his eyes off of her. "You don't deserve to live, you don't even deserve to exist. By all rights I would be doing the entire universe a favor by destroying you. You wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore, ever." He paused. "But… I can't do that at the sacrifice of my own humanity. If I killed you to save everyone and I turned into _you_, well, then someone else would have to sacrifice themselves to take me out. This chain has to be broken."

He took a single step back, allowing her to get slowly to her feet. Her eyes were fixed on Danny.

"It's over, Depravity. You've lost."

At that, she snorted with laughter. "On the contrary, you gave up. That means _you_-"

"It's not open for discussion. Simple fact, you've lost, I can see it. I'm sure you can see it too."

"You're making less sense than me," she whined, folding her arms.

Danny waved his hand at the apocalyptic red of the sky, the occasional tremors of the earth. "The world has almost burned out. The power of those spheres might be linked to you, but it links you to the world. The entire planet, the one you're so hellbent on destroying, is your power source. If it's gone, you go with it."

Her face twisted into an angry snarl. "You're a liar," she hissed.

He shook his head. "I wish. If you don't stop, you're going to burn yourself out. The planet has only a little energy left inside it, unless you give up those spheres. If you don't, you, the planet, life itself is going to burn out."

"NO! IT'S NOT TRUE!" she shrieked.

"If it weren't I wouldn't have said it. Depravity, listen to me. You _have_ to stop. If you don't, you're going to destroy _yourself_."

She started to tremble. "No…" she muttered. She looked like she'd snapped. Danny betrayed no expression, no emotion, on his face. "I… it can't… _no_… I **_hate_** you…"

"Fine, hate me. Don't forgive me, blame me for everything, do whatever you have to in order to cope. But this is how it is, Depravity. There is nothing else but the truth, and this is it."

Depravity took a shaking step backwards from him, her breath short. It wasn't that she was upset for the planet, or that she was running out of juice. She had known that for a long time, and it was certainly not a surprise. But what she didn't want to believe, what she _refused_ to believe was true, was that now she and this disgusting ball of dirt and flesh was _linked_ to her. Her survival was directly dependent on the survival of the planet she so desperately wanted to destroy.

So if she wanted to meet her goal, she'd have to destroy herself.

_"So let me get this straight," she snarled. "You, a creature of pure anger, are creating beings that feel love? And you want to put them on that dust ball? Are you insane?"_

_"Dee, it's empty. The above and below are both overflowing with displaced souls. The last reckoning left us a little overcrowded. They have to go somewhere, and I know many of them deserve to live again. So there's no reason not to."_

_Ire didn't understand why she was so angry about them. They were really very fascinating creatures. "Uncle approves, I don't see why you don't."_

_She snorted with disdainful laughter. "Uncle is more antisocial than a gate demon. I'd be surprised if he saw anyone besides those stupid eyeballs in the last thousand years. You can't take his opinion on life if he has no participation in it!"_

_"Are you worried that they'll take his place?"_

_Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't you dare bring him up," she snarled. "You know full well that isn't the issue here."_

_"Isn't it?" Ire asked, his eyes on her warily. "I heard your argument with mother. You think they're pushing out the hellions?"_

_"I was just saying that's what it looks like. At any rate, I don't think it'll matter if your precious humans show up. They're too tame. They'll die out quickly."_

_It was Ire's turn to snort with laughter. "You've lost track of the time, haven't you? They're feisty things."_

_She glared at him. _

_"So what is the true reason you're angry? Is it because of Pharez? Or is it because of something else?"_

_At first she didn't respond. She wasn't really sure how to, not to her brother. All he knew was wrath, so hiding that she was angry was a near impossible task. Lying about it wasn't really her game either. She was evil, and the truth was her weapon. No one wanted to hear the truth. "It's Pharez. The way he died... she could have stopped it."_

_"You really think that? Even though he'd lost himself and his mind long before she ended it?"_

_"She could have stopped it! If it wasn't for that eternal bastard, she would have had the power to stop it!"_

_"You know that's not true. You know Mother is losing her power. That's why she had to act so quickly. It's best that Eternal has it."_

_"No! That's not true," she growled._

_Ire shrugged. "Believe what you like, Depravity. You specialize in how much the truth stings." He turned. "He would have killed himself if she hadn't done it. He would have, or Eternal would have been forced to move his hand."_

"It's your fault, you know," she whispered. "All your fault..."

"What?" Danny asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"None of this would have happened if it wasn't for _you_. You were the special one, you had all the power. I _hate_ you."

"I know," he said. "But I didn't force you to do anything. I didn't force you to hurt those people, unmake those ghosts, I never made you do anything. That was you."

She didn't respond at first. Her silence was unnerving, it made Danny gulp. "But..." she whispered. "It would have been easier. I guess it will always end the hard way."

"What?"

She turned to face him now. "The hard way... it won't hurt much. At least, I don't think so, but those ghosts seemed to be doing a lot of screaming." She shrugged. "Either way, it's time for all of this to end. So much pain... such suffering... I know what I am, Eternal. I'm the embodiment of evil, the incarnate of all that is wicked and dark. I guess... now I'm going to do the only pure act I can ever commit."

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Ending the pain," was her simple reply. She closed her eyes and a smile brushed her lips. From the tips of her fingers gleaming black spread, touching the ground and spreading out, enclosing her in a ball of glittering onyx. "The end..." The black shuddered and sent out a ripple, cracking the ground beneath her. Then it began to spread, touching the shattered pavement. It vanished as though it had been magicked away, and it was then he realized that the pavement had just vanished. It had ceased to be. It had been unmade.

"NO!" Danny screamed, as he pieced together exactly what she was about to do. The wind kicked up, blowing him back off his feet, rolling him across the field to land in a heap beside his friends and allies. Sam scurried to kneel beside him.

"Danny!" she said over the howling gale. "Danny you have to stop her!"

"I think it's too late," he murmured. "I let you down..."

"No, Danny, you can't give up! If you let her do this... then everything she said is true." He didn't answer. "Danny, the last time we thought the world was ending, you said three magic words. If you really meant those words, you will stop that bitch from destroying the world, just like you did last time. Got it? We can't have that 'happily ever after' if that nut takes out the planet. Do you hear me? Do this for me."

Danny met her eyes. Fierce green connected with liquid lavender, saw into the depths of her heart. He'd have to do it, or be called a liar for his words. "For you then," he said, and gave her a half-smile. "And for everyone else."


	21. Unmade

_Author's Notes: This took a lot longer to write than I had initially anticipated, so I apologize for the late update. It's been a very interesting ride, the duration of this story has. Thank you to everyone who offered such wonderful support. We're coming to the climax of our story, so I'll stop wasting time with my babbling and let you get to reading. This is chapter twenty one._

**Chapter Twenty One**

**Unmade**

**

* * *

**

"No, Danny, you can't give up! If you let her do this... then everything she said is true." Sam was pleading with him. She couldn't let him give in, not when the world was at stake. "Danny, the last time we thought the world was ending, you said three magic words. If you really meant those words, you will stop that bitch from destroying the world, just like you did last time. Got it? We can't have that 'happily ever after' if that nut takes out the planet. Do you hear me? Do this for me." Sam placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Danny met her eyes. Fierce green connected with liquid lavender, saw into the depths of her heart. He'd have to do it, or be called a liar for his words. "For you then," he said, and gave her a half-smile. "And for everyone else." He took a deep, steadying breath, and turned to face his friends and allies. "I can't make any promises here. What she's doing is pretty much beyond my area of expertise… but I'm going to stop her no matter what the cost. We've all fought too hard to give up now, but I have to ask for one last thing." He took another deep breath. "I know I've already asked a lot of all of you, and I'm sorry for the way things are. If we survive this, I'll make it up to each of you."

Sam watched him, arms folded over her chest. Small wonder, she couldn't help but think, at how well Danny had grown into his leadership role. He'd always been so shy at school, timid around everyone but herself and Tucker. He'd filled his role well.

"There isn't much time, so I'll say this quick. I need someone to distract her. She's unstable, so taunting her works, but it's very dangerous. She's using those orbs and she's combined it with her power, so if she attacks, it'll be the same as what she did to the ghosts. You'd have to be very careful."

They were all silent, exchanging looks of uncertainty. It seemed that all of them had gone head to head with Depravity at some point, but none of them had actually _fought_ with her. The only one who had, and had actually survived, was Danny. He, and one other.

"I'll do it," came another voice. The group all turned curious eyes on Zim, who had just arrived.

Dib's jaw fell open. "Zim?" he muttered. "But… you were… we saw… I don't understand… what's going on!"

"Silence, worm," Zim growled, folding his hands behind his back. "Of you, the only one who is fast enough to dodge what she throws at you is the flamey thing, and myself," he said, leaving one hand behind his back and using the other to point at Skulker. He blinked and glanced at Ember. "However, you and your love… thing… would be best off if not separated. So I will do it."

Danny quirked an eyebrow. "Even I can't dodge her attacks," he said, his cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment. He tried to ignore it. "Look, I know you're angry at her for what she did, and frankly I am too."

"Yeah, we saw that much," Ember said weakly, smirking.

"But throwing your life away-"

"Again," Dib put in.

"-again… wait, again?" Danny's eyes traveled from Zim to Dib, then to the others. What exactly had he missed during his fight?

"Details," Zim said, dismissing the thought with the wave of his hand. "Makes no difference. I'm the best you've got, and the only chance you've got. And there's no more time for discussion, because the mad… thing… is making a hole."

Danny glanced back and swore vehemently under his breath. They'd run out of time. "Fine, do what you can, but watch yourself."

Zim's face split into a wicked smile that put Dib on edge and four metal legs sprang from the pack on his back. He scurried over the charred and ashen ground where pavement had been once, but had heated and cooled to dirty ash-covered glass, scored with burns and cracks. Zim picked up a rock, took aim, and hurled it.

The stone collided with the side of Depravity's head. The dome didn't vanish, but her eyes opened, and she turned the fiery balls on Zim with rage that could incinerate steel.

"Hey crazy!" Zim shouted, making a face. "You're looking particularly squishy today. Could I interest you in this nice jacket? It's warm, and it makes you hug yourself. You'd fit right in it!"

Her eyes narrowed. "Death wish…" she growled.

"I do wish for doom, but not mine. No, I wish for the doom of my enemies!" he called back and began to cackle. "You're just a squishy Earth monkey with no brain meats!" He stuck his tongue out.

Depravity's upper lip curled into a snarl. She looked vaguely canine. "I'm going to rip your little legs off and shove them down your throat!" she bellowed, and black rose up and swirled into the air around her. Zim swallowed.

"Yeah? With those nubs? I bet you couldn't pull the wings off a sorplach!" he taunted, waving his arms in the air.

"**DIE**!" she shrieked and lunged. Zim covered his head. She drew back her hands and cupped them full of fire-

And then she came face-to-face with a pair of poison-green eyes. "Not today!" Danny shouted. He thrust out his hands and froze her solid.

She was still, her eyes closed, her mouth slightly agape. Danny exhaled slowly, ice crystals evaporating in the air as he breathed. The black onyx rippled once and was sucked into the ice, turning it black and causing it to evaporate. The others cringed as they saw her jerk back to life, ready to continue her destruction with whatever that… darkness had been. But the damage had already been done, Danny had stopped her power. When he'd frozen her, he'd broken her concentration. He'd probably weakened her mind, too. For now, at least. But now was all she was concerned with, and right this moment, she was concerned with ripping out his organs and wearing them as a hat.

"I want you to just die. Die and stay that way!" she said, tears of frustration brimming in her eyes. Danny was past sympathy, so he ignored it.

"Can't do that," he said slowly. "Not now."

"**TOO BAD**!" she screamed and charged him. He stepped to the side and she flashed past him, pulled into a sharp turn and came at him again. Danny dodged her again, but only just. Clawed fingers raked only inches from his eyes. He blinked and twisted as she came again, and this time he held his ground, arms crossed before him and braced for impact.

The pair clashed. The ground began to tremble. Depravity kicked high, aiming for his temple, but Danny swiftly ducked below it and punched hard with his right fist. Her head snapped back and carried the rest of her with it. She tumbled back and swung her leg high, smashing a hard kick up Danny's jaw and sending him reeling back. He recovered quickly and ducked as fists went flying over his head. He kneed her hard in the gut and she lost her breath. But only for a moment. She quickly recovered herself and dug clawed fingers into his shoulders, cutting through the fabric of his suit, through his skin. Blood leaked down his back.

"Little bastard, I'm going to _kill_ you," she hissed. He jumped slightly and kicked, nailing her hard in the gut. She fell backwards.

Then Depravity dropped into a crouch and sprang at him. She had started screaming and snarling again, but whatever she was trying to say was completely lost in the babbling. Depravity smashed into him and wrapped tensile arms around him and began to squeeze.

She didn't last long, as Danny jerked his head back and then head-butt her, smashed his forehead into her face. She let go and staggered back. Her lip had split. It was oozing something dark and faintly red-hued.

Depravity wiped her lip. "Blood," she stated, looking at her hand. "My blood." She glared at him, then her eyes shifted to something behind him. She blasted forward, zapped past him before he could react, and slammed into Sam.

"NO!" he roared and flew after her, but it was too late. She'd already overshadowed the Goth girl. Sam's normally-lavender eyes lit up red with fire and she radiated electricity. Depravity was laughing with twisted joy. She'd finally stabbed his weak spot.

"Time to choose. You can either step down and die, or I will kill her. Better yet, I'll make her kill _herself_."

Danny glared at her viciously. What was he to do? Should he just let her walk away with Sam again, the girl he made a promise to, just so Sam would survive? He remembered the last time Depravity had used the Goth girl as leverage, during their struggle fifty years ago. He remembered the knife, how Depravity held it to Sam's back, how she threatened to end her if he didn't surrender the power he possessed. He very nearly had.

But Sam wouldn't want him to do that. She didn't let him. Instead of letting the last hope of the world give up the power that could save them, she thrust herself onto the knife.

He very much doubted her opinion on the subject would have changed.

Depravity turned to leave, but Danny stopped her. Sam's face was twisted into a look of shock and loathing, a look that didn't suit her delicate features. It made his blood boil. "Get out of her," he snarled.

She wagged a finger at him. "Now Danny, we both know _that_ isn't going to happen." A knife materialized in her hand. "I said that if you didn't let me do what I want, I'd make her kill herself. Are you sure you want to make this mistake?" she taunted. Sam's face wore a wicked smile. Danny didn't like it. In fact, he hated it. Sam should never have a smile on a face with murder in her eyes. Sam should never be holding a knife to her own throat. Sam should never have to suffer evil living in her head.

The knife raised to her throat.

So why was Danny letting it happen?

His eyes narrowed. He finally snapped. His hand shot up and snatched Sam around the throat and jerked her closer. Red eyes widened. "Are you sure you want to do this? You'll break her fragile body."

He struck. His fist plunged hard into her gut, but it wasn't Sam who felt the blow. Depravity's ghost screamed in pain, but Sam's body didn't respond. It was like he'd struck _through_ her, pummeled into her gut without actually touching her. He grabbed hard and jerked, and Depravity flew out as he ripped her from Sam's body. "Get away from her," he growled. "You won't hurt her again."

Sam wavered a little and shook her head. "Whoa…" she murmured.

Depravity was in no such state. She was on fire now, her eyes had turned black. "I've had enough," she growled.

"That makes two of us," he retorted, grabbing Sam by the arm and jerking her behind him. He was standing protectively between the two.

Depravity opened her mouth to growl her response, her eyes flashed something sinister… and then she froze. Danny blinked in confusion.

Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to face who he thought would be Sam. But it wasn't. She was frozen too. He glanced over at the others, and they appeared to suffer the same strange ailment. What was going on? Even the flames had stopped moving.

"It's time," came a familiar voice from behind him. Danny turned to face none other than Clockwork. He swallowed hard.

"Yeah… yeah I gathered that. I thought you couldn't freeze her though?"

He waved his hand as though dismissing the words. "She greatly underestimates how time affects her, as all things do. That's not the only thing she's been underestimating lately though."

Danny managed a half-smile. It felt like forever since he'd smiled. "Guess so."

"But there is still much to be done. She's still very much alive, and that is an issue. No doubt you've discovered that she cannot be reasoned with."

"It was my face that found out. Right around the time she started punching me."

Clockwork simply nodded, and gestured for Danny to follow. "This is where we part, Daniel."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked, quirking an eyebrow curiously.

"I've known for a long time that this was likely to happen," he said, tapping the glass frame of his chest, where the ticking clock within it sat. "Daniel, separately our power is all but useless to stop such destruction. However…" he trailed off, his red eyes drifting from Danny to the charred horizon of what had once been Danny's home town. "However, combined, our joined powers would be more than enough to quell her fire."

"I guess," Danny said, and slowly released the breath he'd been holding in his chest. "But that's not exactly possible…" he muttered.

"It is, and you know what has to happen."

"I won't take the sphere from you."

When he turned to face Clockwork, he gulped. The master of time had opened the door of the clock in his chest, and drew from it the pocket watch that served as his heart. His visage shivered as though he were a hologram. Danny took a step back, shaking his head.

"Daniel, there is no other way."

"I won't become like her," he said in a low voice. "I can't take your power, Clockwork. I can't." He turned to walk away. A firm hand on his shoulder prevented him from getting very far.

"You will, and you will not be her. You're a different kind of creature altogether," he said quietly. Then he slammed his fist into Danny's chest.

The flash of light that erupted from them was beautiful and blinding. Blue and green and white swirled up and around Danny. His eyes pulsed light in sync with the second hand. He felt his lungs erupt with a deafening scream, the pain was so great, but he didn't comprehend what exactly was happening to him.

And then it all stopped as quickly as it had begun. He dropped to his hands and knees. Clockwork and disappeared, probably to remove himself before time resumed and Depravity was on the rampage again. Danny exhaled harshly and the world shuddered back into motion.

"What makes you so high and mighty that you think you can speak to me like that?" Depravity snarled, and then paused, watching with an air of mild surprise as Danny got slowly to his feet. "Aw, poor wittle boy, did my words floor you?" she sneered.

Danny wiped his face and shook his head. "Not even close." Her eyes narrowed but she didn't respond. "Time to put this whole thing to an end."

She launched herself at him, black liquid power sliding out of her hands and around her. He rose one hand, and just as her fists came down, she froze. He stepped aside, and she resumed again, flying past him and smashing hard into the remains of a skyscraper.

"What the hell was that?" she snarled, crouching low and springing at him again. He repeated his earlier movement and stopped her, moved aside, and let her fly past again. This time she was furious. "HOW DARE YOU!" she shrieked. "HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS!"

Danny didn't answer, but something in his eyes belied the truth. "Clockwork," she hissed. "That meddling son of a-"

"Doesn't matter what it is, we're ending this. I'm sorry."

"NOT YET YOU AREN'T!" she shrieked and thrust out her arms. As before, the orbs pulled away from her pale flesh and arranged around her, black enveloping her fingertips like liquid gloves. "**DIE**!"

Then she stopped again. Danny lowered his hand, exhaling once again, and walked forward. Her eyes were closed, her mouth drawn into a growl. Danny marveled at how still everything had become. It was like walking through a still-life photograph. He ducked below the glassy black, stepped around a ball of flame that would surely set more debris afire, and stood face-to-face with Depravity. Then he reached for the orbs.

The first he took was Earth. As soon as it was torn away from her, the color of the world seemed to brighten, but only just. He guessed the complete effect would take place after he moved them all back into the time stream. The next he took was the Sea. He didn't see any change around them, but that was to be expected. There were no major bodies of water within eyeshot.

Then he took Cold. He felt little change, but his breath had become plumed and steamy. He pulled away Fire and Darkness at once, and they sparked and pulsed together. Law came next, followed by Light, and finally Air. He scooped them all up and they buzzed to life like fireflies, hovering around his head. He chuckled in spite of himself.

Then the world shuddered to life again. Depravity jerked forward and tumbled flat on her face. The ball of fire collided with the remaining building nearby and set it ablaze. Sam took a step back.

"Wha… why? Why!" Depravity sobbed, her demeanor dipping from angry to grieving in a blink.

Around them the world flashed with changed. The sky's angry red hue softened to the rosy pink and blue of twilight. Danny remembered that the sun was setting, and it was probably evening. The trembling of the ground ceased. Out of the corner of his eye he could vaguely see the flabbergasted expressions on his companions' faces. That would have been funny, if the situation wasn't so grave.

Depravity was pounding her fists into the shattered concrete. "NO!" she was sobbing. "It's not fair! It's not even supposed to be possible!"

Danny stared at her, but didn't speak. She looked so pathetic, curled up in the dirt crying. He'd run out of words for her. After the number of times he'd tried to talk her down, tried to bring her back from madness and help her, and all she could do was lay in the dirt and cry. And for what? Because Danny had taken away her "toys". She seemed like a child, now. He supposed she really always had.

She drew her knees up to her chest while she wailed loudly. Danny ran one gloved hand through his silver hair. "Look, Depravity-" he began, but froze when she turned her eyes on him. They were black, never-ending pools of liquid nothingness.

That was never a good sign.

A feral snarl erupted in her throat. "_You…_" she hissed, getting to her knees. "_This is all… your… fault…_"

Danny swallowed hard. "Listen, it's not that-"

"ALWAYS WITH YOUR TALKING!" she shrieked. "No no no NO NO! I don't want to hear your goodie-goodie drabble, your worthless words of supposed wisdom! You are nothing, do you hear me? YOU ARE NOTHING! WORTH NOTHING! ARE NOTHING!" Her body was trembling now as she got slowly to her feat, swaying like a drunk. Her hands flung out. "It's over. You. Are. OVER."

And then she triggered her inner bomb and prepared to unmake the world.

* * *

Box Lunch had always been a proud girl, a competent ghost by any standards. And she didn't scare easily. But when the Ghost Zone suddenly began to… _order_ itself, separating the chaos and becoming a unified, strange and mysterious world, Box Lunch was scared. The doors began to fall as though gravity had suddenly sprung to life and grabbed everything to pull it down. And Box Lunch, who had been tasked with protecting and guarding Phantom's incapacitated sister, didn't know what to do.

At first she wanted to run. And most of the ghosts had succumbed to that basic flight instinct. They scattered like insects, flying as far as they could, but it was of little use. Many of them were crushed, smashed, bashed, and battered by the debris as it fell out of the veritable air.

But she didn't run. She, Kitty, and Johnny all stayed behind. Johnny covered both girls' heads with his arms, protecting them from the crumbling world. Box Lunch didn't stay. She flew forward, grabbing the copper and silver-topped woman by the arm and dragging her, trying her best to avoid the plummeting stones and doors while she attempted to drag the woman to safety.

"Get back here, kiddo! You're gonna get hurt!" Johnny shouted. She shook her head.

"I promised!" she called back. "I promised Phantom!"

Johnny growled in his throat and sprinted after her. Kitty followed close behind. "Box Lunch, be careful!" she shouted, but it was in vain. Johnny and Kitty watched in horror as the monstrous shadow fell over Box Lunch, and from above, Skulker's Island fell out of the sky.

Box Lunch was a proud ghost. Proud and brave, like her mentor. So instead of running away, she prostrated herself over Jazz, hoping to at least offer something of a shield for the woman when the island inevitably came down and crushed them both.

* * *

Danny clawed at her hand. He vaguely remembered, though his brain was becoming quickly deprived of oxygen, how vice-like her grip was. How he had let her get so close to him without reacting was a mystery in itself, but he wasn't going to ponder the complexities now. He had other problems to worry about.

For instance, the fact that she was crushing his windpipe seemed like a much more pressing issue.

"Don't… struggle…" she hissed. Danny attempted to inhale. The edges of his vision had started to turn black. A bad sign, he'd guess, if he wasn't so close to blacking out.

Then a pale, slender fist whirled out of nowhere and smashed across Depravity's jaw. Her surprised gasp was coupled by a flinch, and she released Danny's throat and let him fall to the ground. He hit the concrete on his knees and choked down several lung-fulls of air, relishing how glorious it was to be allowed to breathe. Beside him, he heard Sam muttering vehement curses under her breath while she nursed bruised knuckles.

"Didn't think you could punch that hard," he gasped and managed a weak smile.

"Don't get used to it, I don't enjoy broken knuckles," she retorted. Danny got to his feet and shook his head.

"Get out of here now, you know what happens next," he whispered. She nodded, touched his shoulder for a moment, and then sprinted across the field to where the others stood waiting.

"Little bitch…" Danny heard from behind him. He turned.

"Game over."

"FOR YOU!" she shrieked. The air pulsed. Danny could almost see the air molecules as they began to buzz, and the air around her turned purple like it was bruised. "I'm going to undo you first. Then your little girlfriend, and then everything else. I was going to make you watch, but I don't want to give you the chance to stop what is going to happen, what _must_ happen. Good bye, Danny Phantom."

Her hands flung out and the bruise spread out and then lunged at him. Time seemed to slow down… or perhaps it _did_ slow down. Every moment of reality was spread painfully long, stretching for minutes longer than a second should. It brought the entire world into sharp relief.

So Danny stopped thinking. He stopped considering the situation, stopped wondering what if, stopped asking himself why, stopped pondering and contemplating. Instead he simply reacted. One hand extended, the other balled into a fist at his side. The light began then, just a little spark at first, but it quickly expanded like an exploding star. It ballooned out.

Suddenly time resumed. The ground had begun to dissolve. Depravity's eyes were cold and hollow. Black and violet and crimson swirled around her and ate the ground away, spread out and lurched at Danny like a rabid beast.

Then it collided with the light. The pair struggled for a brief instant, but the light overwhelmed it, swallowed it up in the brilliance and then burst out. Depravity threw more darkness at it, willing it to be unmade, but there was nothing to unmake, because the light simply _was_. There was nothing to be done.

But she still fought. Her clawed hands tried to tear it apart. Nothing happened. Then she balled up all of her energy over her head, a great swirling globe of caustic death that roiled in its containment, and began to laugh.

"This is the apocalypse, Danny Phantom. This is the end of the world that I hold in my hands. You can try to take all of it on yourself. It might save some of them. But I don't think it will work entirely. Now… GOOD BYE FOREVER!"

Then she hurled it at him.

Again, Danny didn't think, he simply reacted. He brought up his hands, the light exploded out, and then collided with the boiling ball of death. But instead of the light consuming the ball, instead it simply reflected it.

Depravity's eyes turned to dinner plates. She knew what had happened. There was no way to avoid it.

* * *

From his far away perch atop a remaining hill, overlooking the battlefield, Clockwork watched on in silence. His presence shivered. He felt sort of… hollow inside without his heart. But it was for a better cause. He couldn't help but wonder what his brothers and sisters had felt upon having their very _souls_ ripped from their bodies. He wondered if there was any trace of them left, if even recovering their orbs would be enough to save them. He doubted it.

But for the first time in a very long time, through all of the restlessness and chaos that had plagued the eons he had been watching, Mobieus felt at peace with the world. The time had come for his legacy to continue. It felt… well, almost right, but there was something missing. Something didn't quite click, and he didn't know exactly what that was. Perhaps it was just that for the first time, everything seemed to be going according to plan.

So what was the feeling he had that any moment now, something horrible was going to leap out of the bushes and ruin everything?

And then he recalled that he no longer saw what he'd always seen, and dearly missed it.

* * *

Apocalypse struck her legs first. She screamed murder as the black ate through her flesh, then the blood, muscle, and bone. It dissolved her like acid. It spread from her ankles up her calves, crawling slowly to her knees and up her thighs. She tried to claw at it, to get it away from her, but nothing she did bore any fruition. She continued to fade and dissolve like she'd been dipped in a vat of concentrated sulfuric acid. Her entire form rippled once. The black continued to creep slowly up her legs, then dissolved her hips and stomach, up farther, as it continued its path of destruction.

Her hands disappeared too as the black touched her fingertips and ate upwards. She gulped hard and tried to wipe it away but it was too late, and she screamed again. Her words were lost. The black ate up her hands, through her wrists and up her forearms, up to her shoulders and down her sides. It devoured her chest and up, taking her heart and lungs, and all of her insides, moving up to her collar, up her throat and through her voice box.

Her screams turned to gurgling. The black ate through her chin and jaw, then her tongue. She was silent, her eyes flowing with tears. The pain was unimaginable. But it wasn't permanent.

It ate through her nose and the back of her head, around the top of her skull, her hair dissolving. All that was left was her eyes.

They hovered momentarily, shining with devastating pain, until they, too, dissolved from existence.

Depravity was gone.

The world turned silent.


	22. Change the World

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**Change the World**

**

* * *

**

The world was silent. Danny was breathing heavy, ragged breaths, but he couldn't hear himself. The sounds of evil's screams were still ringing in his ears. His chest shuddered as he inhaled and exhaled. The moral turmoil in his head, the one that chastised him like a convict for killing again, was nothing compared to the screams in his ears. The world was silent, but he was deafened by the screams.

He didn't hear when the others came sprinting at him, all shouting and crying and sobbing with joy and relief, and hardly felt it when they all simultaneously tackled him and pulled him to the ground. Sam was squeezing him tightly in a hug, tears streaming from her lavender eyes. Dib and Zim had hugged briefly, but had quickly parted and begun arguing over something trivial and silly. Danny didn't hear them.

Skulker and Ember were tightly embraced, Skulker patting his lover while her shoulders heaved with her tears. Technus was doing a rather unseemly victory dance that made the others nearby giggle, which he paid no heed to. It was a joyous, momentous occasion. They had all survived, even damaged, but they were alive.

The ringing began to subside. The echo, however, still rang through his chest. He felt sort of… _hollow_ inside.

Until he caught her eyes. Sam's eyes, the ones that had changed hands so frequently these past few days, the ones that were like deep pools of liquid violet that swallowed him up, pulled him back. She took his hand and slowly got to her feet, pulling him along with her. They were standing among allies.

But it wasn't over. Perhaps that was what had been troubling him all along. The easy part was finished, now they had to reshape the planet before it fell apart. Was there time?

_There is always time_, a little voice whispered in his head. His face split into a grin. "We've got work to do," he said to the others. "We have to find Clockwork first." He waved for them to follow and hovered off, searching the horizon for the telltale shifting form of a child, a man, and an elder.

He spotted it some distance off, Clockwork's adult form shivering in and out of reality like a bad hologram. Danny paused several yards away, silent, unsure of what to say.

"It's done," Clockword volunteered. Danny nodded. The others arrived behind him. "Then it is over. The world is saved, the rebuilding will begin." A heavy sigh escaped the former master of time.

"What now?" asked an injured Ember.

"Now we reshape the world," Clockwork replied.

Skulker looked around. "It seems pretty desolate, if you ask me." Clockwork shrugged.

"What about…?" Danny began, finishing his sentence by gesturing to the glowing lights in his chest. The other chuckled.

"It is your responsibility now, Daniel," he replied, a weary smile just brushing his visage. Danny shook his head.

"I don't want it."

"You'll learn to."

"No," he said firmly. "I don't want this much responsibility. I've had quite enough for one life time."

"It's not a choice you have to make, Daniel."

"There's always a choice," the boy replied, then reached into his chest, eyes wincing. He withdrew from it a little pocket watch, glittering with clashing black and white as they swirled in an endless dance. He looked at it for a moment, looked at the other, and then shoved it into his chest. Red eyes glazed to white and light erupted from him, shooting out of his eyes, nose, and mouth, and radiated into the air around him. Danny took a step back and covered his face to shield from the wind that kicked up and tornadoed around the master of time.

It was a brilliant display, but it faded as quickly as it had started. Clockwork hovered there, silent, staff in hand, staring discernibly at Danny with eyes that seemed to know again. Danny swallowed.

"Thank you," Clockwork said at last.

Danny shrugged tensely. "It's not my power to keep. I've already got plenty of voices in my head as it is," he said, laughing stiffly. Sam gave him an alarmed glance.

"Voices?" she repeated. "So you really _did_ go crazy in the ghost zone?"

"No, that wasn't what I meant," he said hastily, his hands raising defensively. "That light… from earlier, the one that brought me back, it did something to me."

"Schizophrenia?"

"No… the ancients. They're… er… it's hard to explain…"

"And there will be plenty of time for explanation later. But for now, there are decisions to be made."

All eyes turned on the master of time once more. He'd regained his commanding composure, and looked at them all with an air of certainty. "The first decision you must make will be the most important," the withered old man said. A moment later he phased into the figure of a small child. "I possess the ability to send you back to regain the time you lost. However," he said, holding up a hand to stifle Danny's excited exclamation, "the events that transpired here will not go without consequence. You joined with the ancients, and this cannot be undone. If I return you, you will remain joined, and the action will make you a ghost of _time_. You will not be able to die."

Danny blinked. Now, this was truly a dilemma. Were he still the fourteen year old who had suffered so many trials and come to near-death on several occasions, the choice would be obvious. But Danny had grown up since then. He'd spent fifty years in the ghost zone without aging a day, he'd been killed and revived more times than he could count on both his hands, and he knew that eventually, all of it would come to one final defining moment… but not if he couldn't die. That would be denying him the reprieve every hero craves after years of arduous service and self sacrifice.

"Your other option," Clockwork said, and Danny's thoughts dissolved, "is to remain here and attempt to fix the damage that Depravity has wrought. Understand that this would be no easy task, as much of the planet is scarred beyond repair, and the damage that the spawn caused is nearly irrevocable. Thousands were slain in both of their rampages, and dead they will remain if you stay here. However, you will be able to die, and live out a full life. So to speak. The choice is yours, Daniel."

Danny inhaled slowly and nodded. The choice, he guessed, was clearer than he thought. Self sacrifice would always be in his cards. "I'll go back," he said. "I'll stop Xanu from destroying Amity Park, I'll save those people from death."

"And stupidity," Sam opined, her thoughts on the "skool" and its ridiculous students.

Danny chuckled, but Dib didn't seem amused.

Clockwork nodded and glanced at the others. "You are all welcome to return as well. The same will still apply, but not so such a degree as Daniel. So long as you keep my trinket, you will not age, and you will not die."

"I'll go," Sam said confidently, stepping forward and holding out her hand. In it, Clockwork placed a small piece of jewelry that greatly resembled one of his time medallions, but was much slimmer and resembled a locket, more than a medallion.

"Simply break it when you wish to cease living," he said, his staunch words almost amusing. Danny forced down his laughter and looked around.

"I want to go," Dib said at length. "I can't really stay here. I… want to fit in somewhere, and with them is the best place."

He too received a medallion.

"What about Tucker?" Sam queried, glancing around. "We never did find him…"

"Oh, I'm sure he'd agree as well," Clockwork said with a knowing smile. Danny quirked an eyebrow but didn't respond.

"Any other takers?" Clockwork asked of the group.

Slowly, as though it pained him greatly, Zim raised his hand. "I s'pose… I don't really have anywhere _else_ to go," he said stiffly.

"Very well," Clockwork said, and imparted the trinket to him as well. "Now that the most difficult decision is out of the way… I believe you have some spheres that require homes."

"Oh… right," Danny said, and willed them to separate from him. "Let's see…" he murmured, first taking the orb of Earth and looking around the group. Then he shoved it into Zim's small hands.

"Guh!" Zim exclaimed, lost for words.

"You've done a good job of keeping the planet alive… even when you weren't supposed to," Danny replied with a snicker. The rest of the group joined him in laughter, except for Zim, who was not amused. He folded his arms in a pout and glared at the horizon.

"Very funny," he grumbled.

"I know you'll be great at this job. No one else really could be, they take the Earth for granted. You aren't from here, so it's different for you."

"So… you knew?"

"It's hard not to tell… you're green, and you have no ears," he smirked. Then he turned his attention to regard the remaining spheres. Danny tapped his chin while he thought. "These need to be returned to… er… Hell," he said, quirking his head to the side.

"I'll deliver them, then," Clockwork replied. "Believe me, you don't want to venture there."

Danny smiled and regarded the rest of the orbs.

"I think this one," he began, lifting the orb of light, "belongs to the sun. Seems a waste to put it where anyone can… you know, turn it off."

"Then will it there," Clockwork said.

"I can do that?"

"You can now, with your new abilities."

"Erm… okay…" he muttered, looked at the glowing white ball, and closed his eyes.

And then it was gone. The sun flared back to life as though someone had flipped a switch on the world.

"Now water. I guess a good place would be… in the ocean?"

"As good a place as I can think of," Clockwork replied with a half-smile. So Danny willed it, and the sphere disappeared. Though he couldn't see it, the waters that covered the planet calmed from the furious turmoil.

"Okay, so that knocks out… six? Or seven?"

"Eight," Clockwork confirmed. "All that is left is the sphere of air."

"Isn't that the one that was… er… inside of Jazz?" he asked slowly. Clockwork nodded. "Then it goes back."

"That seems to be everything, then," Clockwork said. "Are you prepared?"

Danny nodded. "I guess the people who live in this world will shape it now, instead of the ones who just watch," he said quietly. For a moment, he thought the Master of Time was offended.

He merely broke into a smile. "Yes, let us hope so, this time."

Then clock hands swirled out of thin air, sweeping around Danny and his three chosen companions.

**

* * *

**

When Danny regained his senses, the sight that filled his eyes was one that made him laugh like he hadn't in a long time. There were his family, who were all fixed in time, and their assailants, who held them fast from aiding Danny. He recognized the scene. This was around the time that he'd been tackled to the ground and bound with those ghost-suppressing gloves.

He laughed. They wouldn't work now, not when he had something more inside of him.

"What took you guys so long?" came a voice, oddly familiar and yet nearly belonging to a stranger.

"TUCKER!" Sam and Danny roared together, tackling their dark-skinned friend with fervor that terrified him.

"WAH!" he called as the three toppled to the ground. "Jeez guys, not so rough. You act like you haven't seen me in-"

"Fifty years," Danny cut in, then got to his feet. "What happened to you?"

"Long story, we'll talk about it later. I think you have a job to do, dude," Tucker replied, adjusting his glasses and getting to his feet, helping Sam up along with him.

"I should think so," came Clockwork's voice. He faded into view, his face still lit with a smirk. "This is the time you have chosen to return to. I think you all know what you need to do." Danny nodded, and Clockwork turned to leave. "Oh, and Daniel… try not to mess up the time stream again," he said. "Time in."

And then he was gone.

The world lurched back into motion as Xanu fell flat on his face. He'd been tackling Danny, and without him there to land on, he looked rather ridiculous. Two other shifters toppled down the stairs. Another shifter tripped over Dib and smashed head-first into a mirror in the living room and ended up in a heap on the ground amongst the broken reflective shards. Zim took a step back as another lurched past him, the one who had attempted to grab Tucker, who was now in a different spot in the room. The alien smashed into the banister of the stairs and toppled over. His face broke his fall.

Jack and Maddie ceased struggling and stared at their son in amazement.

"Hey there," Danny said to the leader of the alien buffoons. "I think we've got a score to settle."

* * *

_A/N: Yes, this chapter is shorter, but the next one will be a great deal longer. We're coming nearly to a close, thanks for sticking with me. Oh, and I apologize for the late update. Thanks everyone!_


	23. Second Chances

**Chapter Twenty Three**

**Second Chances**

* * *

_A/N: So it's been a little while since I've been able to update. Sorry about that! I ended up pretty ill for awhile, but now I'm back and I can finish off this story. Two more chapters to go! And I'd like to thank everyone for the wonderful encouragement so far. This chapter may not be as long as I was hoping, but I think it's better if it's not dragged out. Thanks everyone.  
_

* * *

"I think you have a job to do, dude," Tucker said, adjusting his glasses and getting to his feet, helping Sam up along with him.

"I should think so," came Clockwork's voice. He faded into view, his face lit with a grin. "This is the time you have chosen to return to. I think you all know what you need to do." Danny nodded, and Clockwork turned to leave. "Oh, and Daniel… try not to mess up the time stream again," he said. "Time in."

And then he was gone.

The world lurched back into motion as Xanu fell flat on his face. He would have been tackling Danny, and without him there to land on, he looked rather ridiculous. Two other shifters toppled down the stairs. Another shifter tripped over Dib and smashed head-first into a mirror in the living room and ended up in a heap on the ground amongst the broken reflective shards. Zim took a step back as another lurched past him, the one who had attempted to grab Tucker, who was now in a different spot in the room. The alien smashed into the banister of the stairs and toppled over. His face broke his fall.

Jack and Maddie ceased struggling and stared at their son in amazement.

"Hey there," Danny said to the leader of the alien buffoons. A grin spread across his face and he narrowed his eyes. "I think we've got a score to settle. Xanu, right?"

"What the hell..." Xanu growled. Metal tentacles shot up and around Danny's neck. "How could you possibly know?" he hissed. "We know everything about you, how could you have discovered us? How can you possibly fight off the effects of the gloves!"

Danny shrugged. "I'm pretty smart," he replied evenly, eyes narrowed. Bright green spectral fire erupted around his hand and he swiped through the tentacles like they were paper. They shattered and Xanu howled in pain. Danny's left fist came up and clocked the shifter, sending him tumbling back to the floor.

"Guh!" was all the alien could manage as his head smacked hard against the tile. He rolled over, trying to push himself up on shaky limbs. "You little fuck-"

Danny's foot collided with Xanu's left side and sent him shooting into the wall like he'd punted a football. "I don't have the patience for witty banter today," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "I hate killing." Danny punched him again, hard, in the shifter's equivalent of a human ribcage. "I hate having to be the one who gets saddled with the dirty work _every time_. It's people like YOU-" he kicked him in the diaphragm and shot him over the banister of the stairs and into the living room, "that always get me caught in these God damned situations."

Xanu lay still on the floor beside the coffee table. Jack and Maddie were watching with awe. Tucker, Sam, Dib and Zim had rounded up the rest of the aliens that had wound up on the floor.

"YOU'RE NOT EVEN IN YOUR GHOST FORM!" shrieked Xanu as another punch drilled into his gut and he smashed into the wall again. By now, the force had driven cracks into the wall where his body had impacted, but no one seemed to mind.

"Oh, you want me to _Go Ghost_? Alright," Danny said acerbically, and a pair of crackling white rings surged over him. His jeans and t-shirt vanished, replaced by a black and white jumpsuit emblazoned with his signature symbol. Black hair turned white and he closed his blue eyes. Poisonous green eyes opened, fixing on the alien, and Xanu trembled.

"What... ARE YOU!"

Danny's gloved hand found Xanu's throat. He was silent for a moment, but his gaze didn't move from the alien's face. "It doesn't matter what I am or where I came from. All that really matters," he said, "is what I do with the power I have." Xanu winced and growled in his throat, but said nothing, so Danny went on. "You're going to leave this planet and never come back. If I _ever_ see you or any of your men again, I'll make sure you'll never see another planet again. Are we clear?"

There was absolute silence for a heart beat. The shifters that were tied up on the ground were staring, awe-struck, at the exchange between their leader and a human child. What was so impressive was not just how quickly Danny had beaten him down, but how he had no _fear_. It was rather incredible for men who were well-accustomed to spreading terror across the stars.

"Very well," Xanu choked out, and Danny released his throat. The alien slid to the ground, wheezing.

The shifters that were holding Maddie and Jack stared for a fraction of a second and then released the two, scurrying away as Danny's eyes turned on them. They slid to their leader's side.

The Fentons all stared at the youngest child, absolutely flabbergasted. Danny looked around at them. "I guess now would be a good time to explain what happened," he offered.

"RAAAAAAH!" screamed a collection of voices from behind him. Xanu and his subordinates all leaped up and rushed at him, sharp metal tendrils vying to impale him. Time seemed to slow. Danny turned on his heal, green balls of energy in his palms, and thrust them out.

"Too slow!" he shouted, and blasted them all to hell. Green light consumed the room, and for a moment, no one could see anything.

A blinding flash and deafening explosion later, only three shifters remained in-tact. Xanu and the men who had followed him in his charge were gone. There might have been an outline of where they'd been standing, but the wall was gone too, and all they could see was the bright sunlight of a summer day. Danny turned to face them, while Sam knelt down beside them. "Go back to your people. Tell them if they want to live, they will leave this planet and its people alone. Got it?" he said.

Without a word they nodded. With a smirk, Sam added, "And make sure they know that if they _do_ come back, they'll be haunted."

And with that, they scrambled upright and out of the hole in the wall where Xanu might have been, had he not attempted something so utterly suicidal.

"What... just happened?" Jazz queried, slowly descending the stairs and fixing her teal eyes on her little brother. A pair of rings swept over him and reverted him to Danny Fenton, and he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He walked to stand beside the sofa.

"It's a really long story," Danny said, sinking down onto the couch. It had only just occurred to him that by his new standards, he had only defeated Depravity an hour ago, and he was still completely _exhausted_. It was almost funny how easily he was able to take out Xanu even having exhausted so much of his energy. He smiled.

"A really _really_ long story," Sam added, sitting down on the floor and resting against the wall.

Danny inhaled, and then said, "Well, it actually started when that alien called the house..."

* * *

Maddie, Jack, and Jazz were dumbstruck. The entire story was almost too far fetched to be possible. Then again, the display Danny had made seemed to corroborate their story well enough. They all sat around the living room, staring in awe as Danny wove the tale and explained how he had spent fifty years in the Ghost Zone and had been let out by Dib and Zim, who also sat on the floor listening. They only knew the parts they'd been present for, and not everyone knew everything.

They each took turns adding bits and pieces to the story to complete the puzzle, Sam even going so far as to offer some of the details of the time she spent overshadowed by Depravity.

"You mean that crazy ghost you killed a few months ago?" Maddie asked when they'd first mentioned Depravity. Danny blinked and counted in his head. The time variations were really messing with his memory.

"I think it was... a few months ago. Remember it's been fifty years for us," he said.

At the end of the story, there was silence for several long minutes. Maddie was the first to break the silence. "Danny that's... incredible," she said at last, and squeezed her son tightly. "I can't believe you went through all of that. It's amazing."

"So what now?" asked Jazz, looking around at the faces in the room.

"Well... I think I actually want to finish high school," Danny said thoughtfully. "I'm technically still seventeen, and it will be an interesting opportunity." He shrugged.

"I agree," Sam said. "I mean, we kind of _deserve_ some normalcy after the half a decade we just had."

"Hear hear," Tucker chimed in.

"And what about your ghost fighting duties?" Maddie asked.

"Well, I figure we've got a pretty good thing going here with Fenton Works. Why spoil it? Besides, we don't know what could happen now. It's a new future, so we'll want to make sure things go right this time."

Jack slung his arm around his son's shoulders. "At's my boy!"

"And what about the wall?" Maddie asked pointedly, folding her arms. Danny grinned sheepishly.

"We can fix it, Mom," he said. Then he smiled. "But right now, I think I could sleep for about a week straight." They laughed. For the first time in a very long time, his heart felt lighter, and he was breathing easy. Things were just as they should be.

* * *

"Alright class, I want you all to turn to page 327 in your text books," drawled the balding, over-weight man at the front of the room. "Your homework for your winter break is to read chapters five through seven and complete the question section on this page. I expect it to be finished and ready to hand in the day you come back-"

He was interrupted by the shrill cry of the school bell.

"And don't forget to write a one-page report on your goals for the future!"

The students groaned as they gathered their books and filtered out of the room. Danny ran his free hand through his hair as he, Sam, Tucker, Valerie, Jace and Katana walked through the hallway. "How in the name of hell did we end up getting him as an English teacher _again_?" he groaned, and phased his books into his locker.

"I say it's a conspiracy," said Tucker, who was spinning the dial on his lock.

"Still, it's nice to see him not attached to an oxygen machine."

The others giggled.

"Maybe he's just trying to look out for you, Daniel," said Katana, inspecting her pale skin in her locker mirror for blemishes. Her brother rolled his eyes.

"I agree with Tucker. It's gotta be a conspiracy."

"C'mon guys, think on the bright side," Sam said, and they all stopped to eye her. "I know I'm not supposed to be the optimistic one, but seriously. At least he's not Vlad." She pulled a hat on over her raven hair and zipped up her jacket.

"Point," Danny said with a shrug. The six of them pushed open the school doors and stepped out into the snowy afternoon.

"Where is the creepy ghost man, anyway?" asked Katana while she pulled on a pair of mittens while they walked.

"Probably working on his mayoral campaign with my dad," Danny replied, rolling his eyes and pulling his jacket on. "You two headed back home for the break?"

"Yup, plane leaves tomorrow," Jace replied. "What about you, Val?"

"Oh, I'm on babysitting duty," she said irritably. "Gotta pick up big-head and greenie from school and keep an eye on them. How I got suckered into that one is way beyond me."

Danny chuckled and shrugged. "Don't look at me," he said. The group said their farewells at their usual sign, with Valerie heading north, Jace and Katana heading east, and Danny, Sam and Tucker heading west towards Sam's house. Danny fitted his headset onto his ear and tapped it once. "Hey Mom, all quiet on the war front?"

Her voice crackled to life in his ear. "Yup, all clear sweetie."

"We're gonna head over to Sam's house and watch a movie. Beep me if something ugly shows up."

"Alright, have fun, hon."

The last three months of Danny's life had been a perfectly hectic and welcome change to the previous fifty years. If anyone had told him before that he would actually miss school, he would have called them a liar. But now, he was sad that it was so close to ending. He knew that once it was over, he and the others would be roaming the world for a very long time, just fighting the good fight. It was a noble cause, but Danny had seen a lot in his time, and he was already prepared to retire. Shame was, he couldn't.

He'd have to settle for periodic vacations, and hope the gang was up to the task.

Tucker stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "Oh damn it, I forgot something in my locker!" he said, and slapped his palm to his forehead. "You guys go ahead, I'll catch up!" he said, then turned on his heal and sprinted off. The other two chuckled and went on.

When Danny was certain Tucker was out of eye-shot, he took Sam's hand and locked his fingers with hers. He saw her blush out of the corner of his eye.

"We haven't really had much of a chance to talk since..." he said, and trailed off.

"Since you killed Depravity the first time."

"Yeah..."

They lapsed into momentary silence. He didn't know what he should say. There was a lot _to_ say, but Danny wasn't good with words. Then again, he'd said a lot of this before. It was mostly just a matter of reasserting himself... which he was also not very good at.

"I guess we'll probably be stuck together for awhile," he said at last. She nodded. "I uh..."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she supplied, the pink of her cheeks deepening to nearly red. She squeezed his hand.

He felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. They had time, and nothing really needed to be rushed. Sam still knew how he felt, and he knew she felt the same way. Besides, where would the fun be in a relationship if they didn't have something to work on over the next couple of centuries?

They arrived at the house to find that her parents were gone. That was well enough, interruptions were such an annoyance when they were midway through a fight scene in a terribly-dubbed Kung Fu movie. They stripped off their snow-covered gear and sat in the theater, waiting for Tucker's arrival. While they waited, Sam set up the projector while Danny prepared snacks, and even when they finished, they still had time left. He stood silently against the wall, staring up at the ceiling, his mind having wandered off into space. She glanced at him, and laughed quietly under her breath. His head was always in the clouds.

She crept up to him slowly and quietly, keeping her eyes on him. Then, softly, she stood up on her toes and brushed her lips against his. He snapped to immediately, blushing madly.

"Sorry about that guys," came Tucker's voice, and he entered covered in snow. Danny tripped in his nervousness and ended up flat on his face, leaving Tucker confounded and Sam in a fit of laughter.

"Did I miss something here?" he asked with one eyebrow arched.

"Nothing at all," Danny said from the floor, and was met with laughter from his friends. He got to his feet, stretched, and made his way over to the projector while Sam and Tucker settled in.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

"Damn it." Danny reached for his earpiece and fitted it to his ear, and tapped it once. "What's up?" he said into the tiny device. Since coming back, Fenton Works had been booming. The team now consisted of Danny, Sam, Tucker, Jack, Maddie, Valerie, Dib, and occasionally Zim, Jace and Katana. Dib had helped Tucker develop some new technology for communicating with the Fenton Works team when trouble was up, and Maddie usually relayed the information to the others. The noise wasn't particularly soothing, but it got the job done.

"Hey, it's me," Maddie's voice said. "We've just got confirmation of a massive breach."

"Where at?"

"It's in upstate New York. About half-mile wide, looks like it's a Ghost Zone breach." Danny groaned. "I've sent coordinates to Valerie and her two. Think you can meet them there?"

"Yup. I'll be there," he said, and the call ended. The tac-pad in his pocket let out a soft _ding!_ as the coordinates and information were downloaded. A pair of rings appeared around his waist and swept over him. "Alright guys, duty calls," he said to the two. They both sighed and got up. Danny couldn't help but laugh. "Better get used to this now, we'll be doing it for a very long time."

"Yeah, but it's cool. It's what we're good at."


	24. Epilogue

**Epilogu****e**

* * *

_** June 24, 2217**_

_**6:52 pm**_

_My name is Daniel Fenton. I think there are only a handful of people still alive who know this, but I thought at some point, I should write it down. This may be the only written memoir I will ever have, and I finally have time to sit down and write it. I don't really know how to begin, or where to begin, but Sam said I may as well just write while I have a mind for it, so that's what I'm doing. I bet she'd laugh at me if she knew I babbled even on paper (you have no idea how hard it was to get ahold of this stuff)._

_The last couple of centuries have been... interesting. I guess that's the best way to describe it. There's been some good and bad, just like a normal life, just spread out over a longer period of time. I think the hardest part is just how tired I've gotten. I think I understand why a lot of those old superheroes in the comics would end up retiring after a few years. The feeling of saving lives is wonderful, but I have to say, the same old song and dance gets exhausting._

_Unfortunately for me, I don't really have the luxury of getting too old or worn down for the job. _

_I guess I should sort of explain what's happened over the last century. I'm guessing most of what we did is going to be over-exaggerated by rumors and perspective. I'll start with the rift that opened in New York during our senior year of high school. Usually, the ghost zone portals that open naturally are small and close after a few minutes. This one didn't. It was miles wide, and it wasn't just ghosts that came out of the rift._

_Ever since then, Fenton Works kicked into high gear, mostly because after The Gate opened (what we called the first and biggest one), several other ones opened as well. The Gate is anchored, so we've had to set up sites ever since to keep away anything that comes through with bad intentions. It's been enlightening, that much I can say._

_Most of this is stuff that's already known, but what isn't is that we had a hand in the initial contact between us that the people of The Void (void walkers, rifters, ghosts, whatever the preference is) and it was because of us at Fenton Works that the first contact wasn't seriously bloody. _

_About fifty years after that, my dad died quietly in his sleep. Mom was pretty devastated, but she made it by alright. She turned out to be one of the most brilliant scientific minds the world ever saw. She invented so many ghost and demon fighting weapons that we ended up having to open up a new facility just to hold them all. She also improved on a lot of my dad's designs. She died about ten years later in a pretty massive conflict, sacrificing herself to save a school full of children in Amity Park._

_Jazz married her boyfriend and became a hugely famous professor of physics at a major university. She helped my mom design a lot of the vehicles we used while we're in The Void. She ended up marrying a guy she met at Harvard named Jason West, who wound up being the leading authority on inter-species relations and language. He was our ambassador for many years until the cancer forced him to retire. He died a few years after when his liver shut down. Their kids carried on their work._

_Valerie Gray was the leader of the New York division of Fenton Works. She headed up most of the demon and ghost fighting on the war front nearest The Gate. She and Jace ended up marrying later. Their kids, since they were stronger and faster than most human fighters, took the front lines in a lot of the early conflicts. They had a reputation for being fast, efficient, and deadly, even though we tried to scale down the number of casualties as much as physically possible. Overall, the number of conflicts was pretty low._

_At first, anyway._

_Then came the battle of Eerie in 2035, and we lost a lot of good people that day. Many people know it as the day two worlds converged, but it's not really that simple. In the middle lake Eerie, another rift opened that started a really bloody conflict. It was only after that we realized that it was partly our faults. Having two anchored ghost portals had basically poked holes in the fabric between realities (or that was how Jazz explained it to me, anyway) making it so that when two realities collided, instead of seeing ghosts, they were joined together by ripping holes in one another. The Gate in New York was a good example, but it was a stable rift and the people who lived in the reality it led to were peaceful, since they were all simply ghosts._

_The reality that joined with ours at Eerie were nightmares. Val was there at the fight. She was the one who closed it from the other side, and we never saw her again. Now, sometimes the nightmares make it through to our world, but we banish them back each time._

_Jace was a huge part of Fenton works for 150 years, even after Valerie was gone. He took some time away about a half century ago to seek out new knowledge, but it's been quite awhile since anyone heard from him. He may have gone underground since the anti-lahmpir movement some years ago._

_Kat stopped fighting about twenty years ago. She's currently leading some of her people to a safe area away from the bat-shit crazy people who've been running around killing non-humans. I heard they wanted to put me on top of their "kill list" but so far they haven't really tried anything. We got a message from her a few weeks ago, so I'm pretty sure everything's still okay._

_Zim and Dib have been with us since the beginning, and still are. Dib figured that if he wanted to age, he only had to lock up the time medallion for a few years and take it out when he wanted to stop. He's currently sitting (physically) at around 14, I think. But the kid is smart, I'll give him that. Zim, however, never really changed much, but the technology he brought was pretty helpful. He's still protecting the orb of earth so far as I know._

_Tucker met a girl about four years ago named Makka. She's been fighting with us ever since, and they've both agreed they want to be married and have kids someday soon. He talked to Sam and I about it for a long time, and last week, he made it official when they got married. They broke the medallion at the wedding ceremony, so he's permanently integrated back into the flow of time._

_As for me and Sam, we're still running strong together. Over the last two centuries we've gotten as close as anyone can possibly be, but we've agreed that until we figure out how to reinsert me back into the flow of time, we're not going to bother trying to have kids. It'd be too much of a hassle and heartbreak to explain to them why mommy and daddy are permanently horny teenagers. And even though I tried for about thirty years to talk Sam out of it, she's vowed to stay beside me until the day I start aging again. _

_And who knows, maybe by then, the world will stop trying to kill itself?_

_...God damn I hope so._

_ -Daniel J. Fenton_

_Danny Phantom_

* * *

_A/N: Let me just say that I LOVE each and every person for their reviews and support. Thank you all so much, it made this story that much easier to write. I hope to see you all on my next story, and bid each of you a fond farewell._

_Special thanks to Invader Johnny, KP100, ArmoredSoul, and Thunderstorm101 for their frequent and helpful reviews. Thanks guys, you made my days. And thank you to everyone else for their positive feedback, I hope to write more fun stuff soon._

_~Arcana_


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